The Last Marauder
by Resa Aureus
Summary: In the wake of the war, Dumbledore's portrait gives Hermione a task that could change the course of history if she succeeds, but unravel time itself if she fails. 1ST PLACE WINNER of the Energize W.I.P. Awards for "Most Promising Harry Potter Fan-Fiction"! IN THE PROCESS OF BEING BETA'D.
1. Dumbledore's Favor

A/N. HERE'S MY NEW STORY! I have no clue how long this story will end up being, but I'm guessing long. For a while, I will be updating maybe every other day, possibly every three days, but once the baby comes I imagine it will be once a week (but never fear, we still have a little less than seven months until that happens haha)

This story is rated M for language, some violence, and future smut.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Harry Potter or make money from doing this.

NOTE: This story is in the process of being beta'd by the lovely **Anne Bonham-Knightley.**

...~oOo~...

Chapter One: Dumbledore's Favor

Wandering aimlessly down a corridor, Hermione admired how far Hogwarts had come in terms of reconstruction in only a month. Most of the rubble had been cleared and the stone walls were beginning to be rebuilt. She ran her hand over the obvious deviation between new and old stone as she walked towards her destination.

That morning Hermione received a letter from McGonagall requesting to meet her for tea in Dumbledore's old office, which was now Minerva's with her new position as Headmistress. Hermione quickly sent an owl back agreeing to the time and place, but her heart was heavy to return to a place that she both loved and detested.

For years she thrived in classes here, made friends here, half of the memories of her life were here. But so was the death of many friends and the sorrow that came with war.

Hermione could only guess that the sudden meeting from McGonagall was the discuss Harry. Harry was riddled with survivor's guilt, as most of them were, but Harry hadn't left Grimauld in weeks. It was becoming an illness and everyone was concerned and Hermione imagined McGonagall was no different.

It seemed like the only reason these days anyone wanted to meet with her was to ask about Harry.

Hermione came to the gargoyle outside the office and smirked as she gave the password, "New Beginnings." McGonagall was definitely one of the more optimistic ones.

But once she entered the office, her old Transfiguration teacher was nowhere in sight.

The office was just as Hermione remembered it. Full of books and artifacts and Fawkes's little house and sitting rod. The Phoenix himself was standing there, looking young and pretty with his flame-colored feathers that flickered and glistening healthily in the light of the room.

"Hello?" Hermione called out tentatively as she slowly stepped further into the room. "Professor? Minerva, are you here?" She checked the note she'd folded in her pocket from McGonagall to double check that she had the right place and time.

"You've made no mistake, dear, I promise you that," a voice Hermione knew very well intoned.

Turning so fact her head jarred, Hermione looked to Albus Dumbledore's portrait. The man was sitting there with that same twinkle in his eyes, his half-moon glasses sitting on his nose, and his beard long and white. He just radiated this wisdom and sense of all-knowing that Hermione always hope that she herself would possess once she was a hundred and fifteen years old.

"Professor," Hermione said with a small smile. "Do you know where McGonagall is?"

"I'm afraid," Dumbledore said, "that Minerva is busy currently, doing some preparation for your journey."

"Journey?" Hermione said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Minerva sent you the letter for tea under my advisement," Dumbledore confessed. "I did not mean to trick you, my dear, but I did not feel the need to scare you unnecessarily before you arrived."

Hermione's heard throbbed nervously. "I appreciate that, I suppose. But still, sir, what type of journey? I must admit, I'm quite exhausted from all the journeying I've been doing," she added with dry amusement.

Even Dumbledore grinned down from his frame at that. "I suppose you must be. I'm sorry to say, though, that I must ask you a favor, Hermione. A favor I cannot ask anyone else - something only you can do. A favor like this can change the path of history itself. It is a burdensome favor, one that I have no right to ask you, and will leave you lost, alone, and afraid. But still, I hope you understand why I must ask it of you." He paused. "Perhaps you should take a seat."

Fear rising in her chest, she pushed it down, and walked toward the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk.

Dumbledore grinned. "Perhaps you'd like to sit in the Headmistress's chair?"

Hermione felt her eyes widen incredulously. "But, sir -"

"I insist, Hermione," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to gently cut her off. "After all, I have a suspicion that you will be sitting there more often than not, giving it a few decades."

Blushing at the praise and at the concept that she could ever be a Headmistress, she slowly stood and walked around the desk to lower herself into the velvet-lined high-backed chair. Sitting in it made a surge of confidence and power surge up through Hermione, starting in her toes.

"It's brilliant, isn't it?" Dumbledore said with a knowing smile and a wink.

"Indeed," Hermione said admiringly. "But…sir. What exactly have you brought me here to do? The war is over and reconstruction has begun. As far as I know there are no especially dangerous Death Eaters lose. The only thing I can really think only I could do was research something in the library for you." She grinned, because it was true. She was the bookworm, it was the only reason why anyone ever really needed her.

"You are worth far more than research, Hermione," Dumbledore said wisely. "You are the only one who can complete my task because you are so much more. You are the brightest witch of your age…and many other ages, I promise you. Brighter than any of the witches in my own, I'd say."

Hermione flushed again and smiled.

"Hermione," Dumbledore continued, "please open the top drawer of on the left side of the desk and pull out the wooden box there. I want you to open it up and look inside."

She obeyed, sliding open the ancient drawer and looking inside where she found a very pretty cherry wood jewelry box with intricate carvings of horses and ballerinas all around it. She lifted the beautiful box carefully and set it on the bare-topped desk in front of her. There was a small golden clasp at the front of it.

Carefully lifting the clasp and lid, inside the box was a maroon silk handkerchief. She glanced up at Dumbledore curiously, but lifted it out and placed it in the palm of her hand. She unfolded the cloth like the petals of a flower and inside found a small golden device that she was very familiar with.

"The Time-Turner?" Hermione gasped quietly, holding the little hourglass delicately between her fingers. She looked up at her old headmaster, confused. "But…sir, what am I to do with this? The war is over and no offense, sir, I really would not want to go back to it."

Albus Dumbledore gave Hermione a sad little smile. "I do not wish for you to go back to the war last month, my dear. But to a different war altogether - the first war. Or, more specifically, a few years before it."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"Hermione, I want you to prevent either wars from ever happening."

Eyes bulging, Hermione gasped. "But, Professor! Tampering with time is highly dangerous and extremely illegal! If I were to make one tiny mistake, it could mean Armageddon!"

Dumbledore laughed softly, his eyes still holding that sage sparkle. "I do not believe you would be able to end the world, Hermione. Quite the opposite, I believe you could save it. The war is far from over, you see. Harry has played his part and completed his own task, but the victory is naught. Because unbeknownst to even the Death Eaters is…there's another Horcrux."

With a big intake of breath, Hermione let out a small, but horrified noise, like a choke. "No," she murmured. "No, no, no."

"I'm sorry to say it, but yes, there is."

"What is it, then?" Hermione demanded. "I'll find it and destroy it and -"

"I'm afraid I don't know what the Horcrux is," Dumbledore said with a little bit of shame. "Only Tom Riddle knows that. But I know there is another. And because we cannot find it, you must prevent him from ever making it. By going back in time to James Potter's Third Year at Hogwarts."

"Why the Third Year, sir?" she inquired.

"Because it was the year Minerva came to acquire the Time-Turner," Dumbledore explained, "and the Time-Turner would not be in existence before then, which would create issues unknown to even the creators of the Time-Turner. No one's dared experimenting. With it, though, you will use it to go to James's Third Year and become friends with him, and Sirius and Remus of course. That trio were quite inseparable if I remember correctly." He grinned, thinking back to the days of the Marauders' schooling. He winked at Hermione. "Much like another trio I am familiar with."

"I'll be much older than them," Hermione pointed out, trying to reason with him that this would never work. "Thirteen-year-olds don't trust eighteen-year-olds."

"Look into the box again, my dear."

Hermione looked back into the jewelry box and saw something that she had either missed before or had just appeared. A small vial of think, purplish liquid, a cork stuck in its top.

"By drinking that potion," Dumbledore explained, "you will decrease in age by five years. I'd recommend drinking it before doing the turners, though."

She rolled the vial in her palm, examining it closely. It certainly didn't look very pleasant. It moved like syrup in the glass container.

"What would I need to accomplish?" Hermione inquired softly.

"Become friends with the Marauders, make sure they never trust Peter Pettigrew in the way that they did," Dumbledore outlined, "and once the time comes…destroy every Horcrux in that timeline and kill Voldemort yourself before Harry can become one as well."

Hermione's head was whirring like clockwork. "But…that would mean…in this timeline that James and Lily…"

"Will be alive, yes," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Sirius and Snape, as well." She looked at the Time-Turner with new eyes now.

"Indeed." The old dotty-eyed man nodded. "This timeline would become an undoubtedly brighter one. Harry might even have younger siblings, Sirius would have never gone to Azkaban and perhaps have a family of his own, and Remus will never have lost his friends and maybe take young Nymphadora Tonks as a wife, because she would be alive as well."

Hermione could see the possibilities all laid out for her. Harry would never go through the hell his life had been. He'd never be an orphan or have to live with the Dursleys. And Dumbledore was right, Harry could have younger siblings!

Everything would be for the better.

Except for one tiny detail…

"Professor," Hermione said, looking up into the portrait's shining blue eyes, "there is one problem. The Time-Turner only goes back in time, not forward. So when I finish the task…how am I to return?"

The light in Dumbledore's eye dull and the wrinkles of his face deepened along with his frown. "I'm afraid the answer to that is regrettably simple…You will not return to this timeline."

Hermione's head fell forward with the impact of the statement. If she were to take accept the deed, she would have to stay in that time and live it out, only to hope to see her friends and family again once she was nearly forty. Even then, none of them would know who she was.

"Fear not, my friend," Dumbledore said. "You still have the chance at a happy life. As long as you've performed the needed tasks of bringing down the Dark Lord and make sure everyone who is alive now remains so, you are free to live your life as you wish. Start a career. Raise a family. Be happy."

Take a deep breath and hard swallow, trying to dampen her cotton-dry throat, Hermione raised her head and shifted her shoulders back. "What am I to do?"

"It's rather simple. In precisely three hours, the moment the clock strikes four in the afternoon, you drink the potion and then turn the Time-Turner. In the wooden box is a slip of parchment with the number of necessary turns. And once you've arrived at Hogwarts and begin as a Third Year, destroy the Time-Turner and proceed with your task," Dumbledore listed solemnly.

"But this is the last Time-Turner in existence, what with the Time Room in the Department of Mysteries being destroyed," Hermione said, reluctant to kill such an artifact.

"It cannot fall into the wrong hands. You will be tampering with time enough without Tom getting his hands on it and reversing all the work you'll have done."

Standing from the desk, Hermione placed the potion, Turner, and handkerchief back into the jewelry box over the folded slip of parchment. She fastened the gold clasp and walked over to be face to face with Albus Dumbledore's portrait, the frame holding one of the most powerful wizards of all time, who defeated Gellert Grindelwald and played a key part in the destruction of Voldemort.

And he was asking her to change time. How could she refuse such a vital deed? How could she turn her nose up at making a difference in the same way Dumbledore had?

"Anything else, Professor?" she asked.

"Yes. I'd recommend bringing nothing with you apart from your wand and that jewelry box. It is a different era, after all. There is a second parchment with the number of turns that you should give to my past self upon arrival. Also…you should probably go to Grimauld, to Sirius Black's bedroom when you do the turns."

This was a peculiar request but she nodded nonetheless.

"Farewell, Professor," she said slowly. "I suppose…I will see you soon." She gave a half-hearted smirk and lifted the box, acknowledging.

"Farewell, Miss Granger," he said somberly. "And good luck."

The young girl began walked towards the exit when she heard her old professor's voice say, "One last thing. When you get to Mr. Black's childhood bedroom, I'd suggest locking the door."

Hermione nodded very slowly and walked out of the office, the box containing both her future and past between her hands.

…~oOo~…

The call for an Order meeting by McGonagall's request was abrupt and worried many of the members. Especially one Remus John Lupin who was enjoying the conclusion of all the funerals he had to attend. It'd been thoroughly exhausting and insanely depressing and the oncoming full moon was doing nothing to help it.

So when he was called for an Order meeting at Hogwarts, he could not help but be reluctant to return to the battleground where he lost so many comrades and the girl he had found himself slowly falling for.

But he checked his watch, seeing that it was three-thirty and stood from his place on the couch and walked to the Floo. The green flames erupted around him and before he knew it, he was standing in Dumbledore's - now Minerva's - office. In the room were Molly, Arthur, George, Bill, and Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and McGonagall herself.

"Oh, good, everyone's here. Hello, Remus." She cleared her throat. "I suppose you all are wondering what's brought on such a sudden meeting," McGonagall began. "But it must be now or else it will never happen."

Everyone looked at her curiously.

"Dumbledore, since before he died, had a sort of plan…" McGonagall began.

"Excuse me, Professor," Ron Weasley said politely. "But we're actually missing someone. Hermione hasn't gotten here yet." Harry nodded in agreement.

The Scottish woman let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid she is the reason we are having this meeting."

Everyone immediately began speaking urgently.

"Hermione? What's wrong with Hermione?" Ron sputtered.

"Oh, dear Merlin, she isn't dead, is she?" Harry demanded coldly.

"Oh, my dear girl," Molly sobbed while Arthur rubbed her back.

"Has she been hurt?" Luna inquired nervously. "Or injured? Has she fallen ill?"

McGonagall raised a single hand into the air that brought a halt to everyone's panicking chatter.

"Miss Granger," Minerva said carefully, "as of right now is perfectly safe, healthy, and alive."

"You say 'as of right now'," Remus said from the back of the room. He arms were crossed and he was leaning against a book case. "Are you implying that she will be in harm's way soon?" He was already worried for the girl who he'd developed a deep fondness and appreciation for. If anything were to happen to her…he'd be absolutely distraught.

"Possibly," McGonagall said tentatively.

"Professor," George said, "I think things would be considerably less tense if you stopped speaking in code." He had dark, sleepless rims beneath his eyes and his cheeks were thinner.

McGonagall nodded reluctantly, moving to sit in her chair behind her new desk. "Dumbledore always had a plan," McGonagall repeated, "that in the wake of a war, depending on its outcome and casualties, he would send a trusted and talented wizard or witch back in time to prevent it all from ever happening. Dumbledore - his portrait, that is - revealed to me a final Horcrux that he doesn't know the location of or what form it is in."

Harry dropped his head into the palms of his hands while a few gasped and Remus rested his fist to his forehead, eyes shut in despair.

"However, there should be no reason to worry about the final piece of Voldemort's soul," McGonagall said morosely, "because Miss Granger will be transporting herself back in time to stop it from ever being created."

The silence in the room was thick and harsh like a fog encasing all of them.

Remus shook his head. "No. No way did Dumbledore cook up such an insane plan. It's against nature, it's illegal, and nothing good comes from tampering with time. Even if Albus managed to order this from beyond his grave, Hermione is smarter than to accept a suicide mission like this."

Dumbledore's portrait spoke, "I'm sorry, Remus, but it is all true. I spoke with Miss Granger herself only a few hours ago. She accepted the mission and will be completing it soon."

"You can't do this, Albus!" Remus snapped, pointing at the portrait of his old headmaster. "She is only a girl! A child! How dare you ask so much of her just after she's lost everything!"

"She is not a child, Remus," Dumbledore said carefully. "She is the smartest witch I've ever met and a young woman who has survived war. She is not the girl you maker her out to be."

"You do not realize what you've done!" Remus shouted as everyone looked on with sadness and horror. "You've signed her death warrant! Tampering with time results in indeterminable amounts of deaths! I thought you smarter than that!"

"It can also end in many lives saved," Dumbledore continued sagely.

"Is that why you've sent her away?" Remus demanded coldly. "Because you're sick of being dead and figure she can save your life by doing this?"

"Not only my own," the old bearded man said. "But many. James, Lily, Sirius, Regulus, and everyone lost in the war. Surely that outweighs the consequences?"

"Sacrifice Hermione for all those lives, is that what you're saying?" Remus spat, the Wolf inside him howling.

"She could very well live."

"People die for a reason, Dumbledore!" Remus bellowed. "By taking it upon yourself - playing God once again - you could unravel the fabric of time! We could all be dead because of this!"

"Do you give Miss Granger any credit?" Dumbledore asked casually, not affronted at all.

"I give her all the credit in the world!" Remus hissed. "And I give you none for such a foolish move!" He spun around to face McGonagall and march up to her desk, smacking his hands down on the word to look her eye-to-eye. "Where. Is. She?" he growled.

McGonagall kept her chin high and didn't even blink at the werewolf. "Preparing for her journey."

"I mean specifically!"

"Remus…" Harry said softly.

"Quiet, Harry!" Remus snapped and then turned back to the Headmistress. "Tell me. Now."

"You won't be able to stop her, even if you got there in time. She is a stubborn girl and is loyal to Dumbledore and her mission," McGonagall quipped.

"Then you should have nothing to worry about, then," Remus snarled. "Just answer the damn question, Minerva."

Looking mildly offended, McGonagall sneered delicately, but answered, "Grimauld Place. She will be gone from this timeline in less than ten minutes."

...~oOo~...

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	2. The Knick of Time

A/N. This chapter is newly beta'd by the lovely and helpful **Anne Bonham-Knightley. **

…~oOo~…

Chapter Two: The Knick of Time

It was ten minutes from four o'clock so Hermione took a deep breath and emptied the thick, syrupy purple liquid down her throat, trying to avoid it touching her tongue. The smell was awful and she imagined the taste couldn't be much further off. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh and waited for the potion's effects.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, she felt her bones begin to tingle and shift painfully. She let out a shocked little cry, but waited for it to be over. Her skin was crawling over her muscles like there were beetles scurrying under it.

When the pain numbed, Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the red-and-gold decorated room from a shorter perspective. She turned to the full-length, dusty mirror and found that she looked just as she did when she was thirteen. Gangly with frizzy, curly hair, and prominent front teeth that she was only just starting to grow into. A light dusting of freckles speckled her nose.

Just when she was beginning to look nicer, she was the ugly duckling once more, Hermione thought with a sad shake of her head. Not that she ever particularly cared about the way she looked, still it had been nice getting a compliment every once in a while. Now she remembered vividly Snape's comment of how he didn't see any difference in her after Draco had hexed her teeth to grow down to her knees.

She looked at the time and decided it was time to begin turning.

…~oOo~…

"Hermione!" Remus called out desperately as he scaled the staircase of Number 12 Grimauld, taking two steps at a time and running. "HERMIONE! WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TURN THAT TIME-TURNER!"

Harry and Ron were mere steps behind them as they all started calling out her name, begging her to stop whatever she was doing. They were frantically checking their watches every other second, having only a minute left.

Remus found the door with the gold name plate reading "Sirius Orion Black III". In a panic he threw open the door, screaming the girl's name.

Remus only caught a flash of the girl sitting on the bed before she disappeared from his sight and his era.

The clock chimed four.

…~oOo~…

When Hermione finally finished turning and was quite dizzy from the horrible suction of time travel, she found herself swaying where she sat Indian-style on Sirius Black's childhood bed. The room did not hold a bit of dust anymore and all the Gryffindor themed paraphernalia was brand, sparkling new instead of faded and graying. The bed sheets weren't flat and threadbare, but full and comfortable. The pillows were fluffy and the bed frame wasn't broken.

The room was, however, rather untidy. Typical boy bedroom, with socks and Quidditch gear lying around and hanging like ornaments.

Hermione was about to stand up when she heard the screaming downstairs. Screaming she knew all too well, unfortunately, but she had only ever heard it come from a portrait before. These screams Hermione could tell were from a very alive and very healthy Walburga Black.

The woman who Hermione knew for screaming out derogatory slurs towards muggle-borns was screaming, "SIRIUS BLACK, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SON OF MINE, YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT BEFORE I TAKE MY WAND TO THAT UNGRATEFUL ARSE OF YOURS!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND CATCH ME!" a very loud and haughty young male scream replied. Hermione gasped when she heard the proximity of the reply - it was only feet away from the closed door, she imagined.

There was more screaming on Walburga's part but all Hermione could hear were the nearing footsteps and then the creaking doorknob and hinges as a young boy walked in, muttering to himself, before Hermione could find it in her to move.

The young, thirteen-year-old Sirius Black froze in his doorway when he saw the girl sitting on his bed. Being a wizard, things as trivial as this weren't normally something he dwelled on, but…she was in his room, after all.

Hermione knew it was Sirius right away. His black, curling hair fell over his ears and forehead messily and his very dark eyes glittered like obsidian. He was already fairly tall for his age, but over all wiry, and hadn't quit grown into his feet or hands yet. But he was very cute as a boy, Hermione thought with some amusement. Obviously a sign of his dashing good-looks later on.

"Um…who are you?" Sirius asked politely.

"I'm…uh…Hermione."

Sirius paused, considering this. "If you're looking for Regulus, he's in the next room."

"I'm not…really…looking for…anyone," she stuttered. "Actually, that's a lie. I guess I was supposed to be looking for you, but then I don't really know why I'm here and, well, everything is just incredibly confusing right now."

Sirius looked her up and down, taking in every detail. She was on the skinny side, with a bushy mane of chocolate hair and pale skin. She was wearing a jumper and jeans and had a pretty wooden box in her hands.

"So…you don't know why you're here?" he clarified.

Hermione shook her head.

"Well," Sirius said. "I can only say you have really bad luck for landing you in this house, of all the homes you could have possibly showed up in. But I suppose it'll have to do, won't it?" He gave a friendly wink. "Come along, dinner is almost ready and I think my mother would like to know that you're staying in the house."

Hermione was god smacked. "What? Stay? In your home? B-but…you don't know me! Are you mad?"

"A little," Sirius said with a shrug, walking further into the room and kicking off his shoes, tossing them lazily into the corner where they landed on a miscellaneous book. "But you look pretty confused and lost, so it would be rude of me to just throw you onto the street, wouldn't it? And if there's one thing we Black men are, it's gentlemen." He gave a chivalrous bow. "Now, come along…Hermione, you said your name was? Interesting name. I'm Sirius. Sirius Orion Black."

Deciding it was best to just play the dumb card instead of going off into a long, time-traveling explanation of how she knows him already, she nodded politely and said, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he answered. "Now, by the looks of the way you're dressed, I'd guess…muggle-born?"

Hermione's eyes got huge and Sirius smirked. "Don't look so surprised, love," he said simply, walking towards his closet. "As purebloods, we've basically been trained how to pick out your sort. And while this may seem like an…unorthodox request, for your own sake, tonight you will be a pureblood. My mother would throw you out if you were anything else, unfortunately. Now, what's your last name?"

Hermione made a snap decision. She hadn't prepared a back story for herself, but knew instinctively that her time travel should not be commonly known until perhaps after she'd completed her task. So she decided that she would play a victim of a memory charm, perhaps being Obliviated.

"I…don't remember," Hermione said, trying to sound convincing.

Sirius paused but then smiled, "Sorry about that, but it's actually perfect. As long as you don't know your last name, you won't have to claim to belong to any pureblood lineage."

"REGULUS! SIRIUS! SUPPER IS READY!" Walburga Black bellowed, practically shaking the house.

"Well, I guess this is it," Sirius said, giving her a smile. "I'm sorry if this is all strange, but…I'd venture your family was probably attacked by You-Know-Who. It's been happening a lot lately. People wiped of their memories, wandering about Diagon Alley and the Ministry. It's a shame, really. If that's the case for you, I only want to help. If you don't trust me - which I can't blame you if you don't - it's fine." He held out his hand, giving her the option of running out of the house screaming or going with him.

Hermione slowly took his hand and Sirius gave her a smile. He hooked his arm around hers and led her from the room and towards the dining room, which would no doubt be a very interesting experience.

The dining room was like she remembered it. Large with a big oak table and portraits on the walls. Already sitting at the head of the table was a tall, broad-shouldered man that looked shockingly like the Sirius that Hermione knew when before he died. This must be Orion Black. His hair was primly cut though, pushed back, and not as curly, but had a silky wave to it. He had only a mustache as well, which was trimmed and sitting beneath an aristocratic nose.

Sitting to his right was a very beautiful woman with long, curling black hair and a petite nose and heart-shaped face. Walburga Black's screaming and frown-lines obviously hadn't caught up with her quite yet, seeing as she was quite the beauty, looking dignified and bored as her husband read the Prophet.

Regulus was sitting beside his mother, his hair pushed back like his father's and looking distinctly scrawny in his button-up shirt and slacks. As a matter of fact, Hermione realized that all three of the Blacks sitting at the table were wearing very fancy clothing. Orion was wearing a tailored shirt and waist coat and Walburga wore a dress that fell to her knees and high heels.

Walburga then saw her eldest son walk in and looked mildly surprised at the guest. "Sirius!" she hissed. "You did not inform me that you had company." She sent him a scathing glare.

"I wasn't aware until a moment ago, myself, Mum," Sirius said with a shrug. "This is Hermione, everyone."

Hermione gave a little wave, feeling her face get hot and her heart throbbing rapidly.

"Hermione…what? What is her surname?" Walburga asked, obviously fishing for blood status.

"She doesn't remember," Sirius said firmly. "She doesn't remember much, do you?"

Hermione shook her head.

"You know how it's been," Sirius continued. "You've all been reading the Prophet. Witches and wizards have been having their memories wiped left and right as of late. And it just happens that this one landed on our doorstep. It would be rude of us not to provide her a hot meal and a warm bed for the night. And we wouldn't want to be rude, now, would we, Mum?"

Orion put down his copy of the Daily Prophet and examined the girl before him. "Come and sit, girl. We have plenty to eat and more than a few spare rooms. It's a pity about your memories, of course, and my son is right. It would be impolite for us not to invite you to stay for the evening."

Walburga scowled but called out towards the kitchen to Kreacher that they'd need an extra place setting.

Sirius pulled out Hermione's chair for her, the one directly across from Regulus, before sitting beside her, across from his mother. There was a heavy silence around them while Kreacher began setting out the meal and plates. Hermione was uncomfortable with letting the house-elf - even one as unpleasant as Kreacher - serve her. It went against her beliefs, but she kept her mouth shut.

"So, Hermione…" Walburga mused. "No recollection of a family?"

Hermione shook her head, continuing her charade. "Not at all, sadly."

"Then I suppose it would be best to take you to the Ministry tomorrow," Orion stated. "That way, if you've been reported as missing then you can be returned to your family."

"But what if she hasn't been reported as missing?" Sirius inquired, raising an eyebrow. "What if her family's one of the ones in hiding from You-Know-Who? What if they've been wiped out and she has no place to go?"

"Orphanages are built for a reason, Sirius," Walburga informed him and she cut into her chicken with her knife in a very lady-like manner.

Sirius sneered. "She can't be sent there! Isn't it bad enough she doesn't remember anything from her past, but you want to throw her into an orphanage where she'll be around even stranger people. No." He crossed his arms. "I will not have it."

"Don't speak to your mother that way, Sirius," Orion admonished without any real heat behind it. He seemed to be a very mild man, quite stoic. "But you do have a point. It would be wrong of us to put you in a stranger place after the ordeal you've no doubt been through." He paused. "Do you know of your blood status, girl? Surely that is something one cannot forget even under the most horrific circumstances."

"I'm a…well, I'm a pureblood, sir," she said meekly. Sirius sent her a secret wink and she sighed in relief that she must have declared it believably.

"Then I see no reason," Orion continued, lifting his wine goblet, "why, if you have no family, we shouldn't take you in and make you a Black."

Walburga looked horrified. "Orion! We do not know her! She could be dangerous! She's fresh of the streets, could be unstable -"

Orion held up a hand that made Walburga shut her mouth automatically. "She is only a child," Orion said firmly. "I highly doubt she is dangerous. She looks no older than Sirius, after all. Further, she will be a Black if the Ministry permits. And with a little polishing, I don't doubt she would make a lovely wife for Sirius one day."

The young Sirius Black let out a bark of a laugh. "Worried that if I don't marry her that I'll marry a half-blood instead?"

"I would be worried you'd marry scum, is what I worry about," Orion sneered. His face smoothed out a moment later, though as he cleared his throat. "She will be raised from here on out in pureblood society. Arranged marriages are commonplace, need I remind you. If Hermione allows it, we will take her into the family with open arms. Won't we, Walburga? Regulus?"

Both wife and youngest son reluctantly nodded.

"Then it's settled," Orion said with finality. "If the Ministry cannot find your family, you will become part of ours."

Hermione swallowed hard. This most definitely wasn't what she expected to happen.

…~oOo~…

Hermione woke up in an unfamiliar room. It took her a few minutes to remember where she was and the day she had ahead of her. She sighed at the thought of being adopted like a puppy that Sirius brought home, but decided that for her mission, this was a good thing. If she was in the Black family, she could become close with Sirius, and then James and Remus as a result of it. By doing this, she was a large step closer to step one of her task.

Already Sirius was acting like he'd known her longer than a few hours, she thought with some satisfaction. But then, Sirius had always been known for doing whatever pissed his mother off most, and Hermione figured that all this was to do just that. First being Sorted into Gryffindor, next was slipping a muggle-born into the house right under Walburga's nose.

There was a knock on her door and the visitor did not wait for an answer to walk in. Walburga was already dressed for the day in a plain black dress and a string of pearls around her neck. Her thick, dark hair was piled in a pretty knot on top of her head.

"Good morning," she said coldly. "I've brought you some clothes to wear to the Ministry until we go shopping for you. It's a dress from when I was young. I imagine it will be loose on you, but nothing a little altering won't fix." The woman held a black dress with a knee-length skirt; it cinched in at waist, had a sweetheart neckline and long sleeves.

Hermione swung her legs out of bed and took the dress, examining it slowly.

"Well, put it on," Walburga pressed.

Blushing, Hermione reluctantly began slipping out of the jeans she had slept in. It was pretty embarrassing that Walburga expected her to undress in front of her, but wanted to stay in the woman's good graces and obey. She slipped the dress on and found it to be loose in the chest region, but that was all. The waist was comfortably snug, the sleeves as well.

With a flick of Walburga's wand, the dress's bust was fitted to Hermione's small breasts.

"Sit on the bed and turn your back to me," Walburga ordered.

Hermione did as she said and felt the woman's cold hands begin manipulating her uncontrollable hair.

"If you are to be a Black," Walburga said, "which I expect you will, seeing as the Prophet has no record of reporting a missing girl by the name Hermione, you will listen to these rules. We are a very powerful family in the wizarding world and we do not tolerate slackers or blood traitors. We are respectful to our elders at all costs, but do not allow anyone to bully us. I will teach you proper etiquette and eventually you will attend dinner parties. If I am to allow you to stay under my roof, I expect you to be a good daughter. Do you understand, Hermione?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione automatically replied, terrified of what Walburga would do if she said any different.

"Oh, my girl," Walburga said simply, "it's 'mum' now."

Hermione sighed but said, "Yes, Mum." The word tasted terrible in Hermione's mouth and she found herself longing for her real mother, the obliviated woman who was still living in Australia when she left. Hermione knew that she'd never see her again, but forced back the tears threatening to surface in her eyes.

"There," Walburga said, sounding satisfied. "It will have to do."

Hermione reached back to feel the long French braid the woman had worked her hair into. Curls and frizz still sprung from the plates, but it was as good as it would get. Hermione stood and walked to the mirror to examine herself and found that she looked like she was prepared to attend a funeral.

Walburga came up behind her and rest her long, manicured nails on Hermione's shoulders. "You have potential," Walburga said begrudgingly.

"Thank you, Mother."

With almost a mechanical quality, Walburga bent down and pressed a kiss to the crown of Hermione's head. "Good girl. Breakfast will be ready soon and immediately after we will go to the Ministry."

Once Walburga exited the room, Hermione began to cry. The same way she had the night before in bed until she fell asleep. The same way, she imagined, that she'd cry a hundred times before she would get used to this world.

She didn't realize how loud she'd been sniffling until the ancient door creaked open again and in walked Sirius. He looked a little awkward to find a girl crying, but then again, most boys were awkward when girls cried.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Hermione, trails of water still crawling down her cheeks, shook her head slowly.

"It's not all bad around here," Sirius said, trying to be optimistic for her. "Well…okay, yeah it is all bad around here, but look on the bright side. In a month, you and I will be going to Hogwarts. Do you…maybe…remember Hogwarts? Or whichever school you went to?"

She had to play it safe, so she shook her head again.

"Well, Hogwarts is a school, you see. And you stay there all year-round." He smiled broadly. "I'll introduce you to my friends and you'll make some friends of your own. It'll be great, I promise. Hogwarts is like Heaven to the Black household Hell."

Hermione smirked at that and said, "Alright. I believe you." Because it was so true.

"Only downside is Regulus will be there too." Sirius scowled. "He's a Slytherin, which isn't great. No worries, though, I'd reckon that you're a very nice girl and nice girls never get sorted into Slytherin. See, there are Houses as Hogwarts…"

Sirius went on to explain everything Hogwarts had to offer in an almost reverend manner, like he was speaking of his religion. Hermione, of course, knew all these things already, but a warmth filled her chest to be reminded that she would be there again, when it wasn't rubble and filled with war. Hearing Sirius speak about it with so much awe made her just as excited, like it was her first year all over again.

Only a month, Sirius had reminded her multiple times. So it was the middle of summer, Hermione figured out. She cringed to think she had to spend her time in Grimauld for an entire month, but it would be worth it, she told herself.

"…But that's enough for now," Sirius said. "Wouldn't want to melt your brain with too much information."

Hermione chuckled. As if her brain could possibly melt from information overload. She'd been cramming knowledge into her head since she learned to read.

"Let's get down to breakfast," he said, reaching out to pat the top of her head. "And then you can be adopted. Perhaps we'll hold a party."

The girl groaned.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to have a party?"

Hermione shook her head as they started walking out of the room.

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have one anyway," Sirius informed her gently, hooking his arm around hers. "My mum's big on production and the public eye. She'll want to inform the world that she took in a poor orphan girl with amnesia."

With a sigh, Hermione said, "I suppose there's no avoiding it, then. It's alright."

"Perhaps I could persuade her to invite some of my own friends so you can meet them," Sirius mused. "James, at least. You'll like James. He's such a clown and his hair sticks up like a porcupine. Looking at him is amusing in itself."

Hermione and Sirius laughed and the sound of it echoed down the stairs they were walking on and Walburga was able to hear it from the dining room.

"HURRY UP, YOU TWO!" the woman shouted. "BREAKFAST IS GETTING COLD!"

"As if they don't make heating charms for that sort of this," Sirius muttered to himself. Hermione smirked, but they quickened their pace to the dining room. Regulus was nowhere in sight, but Walburga and Orion were there, sitting and drinking their tea, their plates empty.

"Where's my brother?" Sirius asked.

"Dear Regulus is sleeping," Walburga said with an adoring smile. It was obvious who her favorite son was.

They ate breakfast in silence and once it was over, Walburga gave Sirius a long, observing look up-and-down. "You plan to go to the Ministry dressed like that?"

Sirius looked down at his ensemble of jeans and a t-shirt. "Well…yeah," he said like it was obvious.

Walburga shook her head furiously. "Return upstairs and put on proper clothes. A tailored shirt, your maroon waist coat, and nice trousers. Do you understand?"

Sirius gave a sigh like he knew how to choose his battles and excused himself from the table.

"Come, we'll wait for him by the door," Walburga said, gesturing for Hermione to follow her. Orion was close behind them as they entered the foyer.

Walburga drew two coats from the closet and handed one of them to Hermione. It was a large, knee-length fur coat that was obviously real. Hermione hesitated in taking it, but knew to keep her mouth shut and accept the "hospitality" Walburga was offering her. Before Hermione could take it from Walburga's hand, Orion took it and held it open for her in a gentlemanly manner.

Orion Black was a very quiet man, in a way that almost could make on suspicious. But Hermione just gave him a small smile and slipped he arms into the coat so he could do the same for his wife.

Sirius came down the stairs, shoulder slumped, and looking miserable. He was wearing a black on black striped tailored shirt and a maroon waist coat over it with deep red stripes as well. His trousers and shoes were perfect and scuff-less, almost like they'd never been worn. Hermione smirked because though this younger version of Sirius seemed to hate the clothes, it was something his older self would not hesitate to put on.

He came to the bottom of the stairs and said, "Let's get this over with."

Hoping to brighten his mood, Hermione commented, "You look dashing."

Walburga grinned dryly. "Indeed you do, Sirius. Except for the hair of yours. Couldn't make the effort of brushing it, could you?" She gave a small sniff and walked towards the Floo.

In minutes they were in the Ministry. Last time Hermione was there, she had drank Polyjuice potion and had almost got arrested. She kept an eye on everyone around her in an almost paranoid way. Old habits died hard.

It took about an hour for the Ministry to confirm that there was no missing persons with her name, but did confirm that there was recently a massacre not far from London that three recorded survivors have been found with no memories. They said that if she was another survivor of that event, then she most definitely had no family. Immediately hearing that, Orion demanded adoption papers.

In less than an hour, Hermione had a birth certificate reading "Hermione Walburga Black". And looking at the name made her break out in gooseflesh.

"Welcome to the family," Sirius said quietly, not sounding excited, but more like he pitied her. Hermione nodded in thanks and received another cold kiss on her head from her new mother.

"Now let us buy you some clothes of your own," Walburga said, her long talon-like nails squeezing Hermione's shoulder in what was meant to be affectionate, but just stung as they left small marks in Hermione Black's skin.

...~oOo~...

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	3. Old Enemies, New Enemies

A/N. Third chapter beta'd and this story is looking more beautiful every chapter all because of **Anne Bonham-Knightley.**

If you want something to keep you preoccupied that involved Hermione, check out my story "Prisoner" J If you just want to read something adventurous and with teenage boys doing stupid things, check out my other story "Teddy Lupin: The Wolf, the Witch, and the Wraith". Updates are regular for all of my stories.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the clothes on my back and the baby in my belly. Harry Potter is all JKR's.

Enjoy!

…~oOo~…

Chapter Three: Old Enemies, New Enemies

The dinner party held for Hermione's "initiation" into the pureblood world was terrifying. Hermione had never seen so many faces she'd encountered in history books or on the walls of Grimauld place over twenty years in the future. A lot of the names she was introduced to she'd seen before but never had the chance to have a face put to it.

Hermione almost choked when three young girls entered the room. The oldest was tall and thin and had a massive mane of black, curling hair and a creepy smile. The one looking to only be slightly younger had light brown hair that fell in waves around her shoulders and the youngest of them was a blonde in braids.

Hermione almost fainted to think that these were Black women who she held at infamous standards in the future, all young and not much older than herself currently. They were all pretty to look at, but she knew at least two of them could be ruthless. Her arm, where the word "mud blood" was carved in, glamoured to be invisible, stung.

Thankfully, Sirius was by her side the entire time and reached out to give her a gentle squeeze of her wrist. "Those are our cousins. Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa is the youngest. I should warn you though, Bella is as scary as they come. Narcissa isn't so bad, just really quiet, but Andromeda is my personal favorite." He smiled. "She's an absolute sweetheart."

Just as Sirius finished giving his new sister the background on the girls, they walked over while their parents went to see Orion and Walburga across the room.

"So," Bellatrix said as she approached Hermione, her pointy chin held high in the air, a regal sneer on her face. The woman had to be about twenty years old. "You're the stray my aunt took in. You're lucky it wasn't our doorstep you landed on. It would have been straight to the orphanage for you, if not the dungeon."

Hermione was taken aback that a grown woman would talk to a child that way, but this was Bellatrix. In another life, the lunatic of a woman tortured Hermione to within an inch of her life.

"Always good to see you, Bella," Sirius said cheekily. "I hear congratulations are in order." He nodded pointedly to her left hand where a large diamond sat on a silver band.

Snatching her hand behind her back defensively, Bellatrix sneered at her thirteen-year-old blood cousin. She then strutted away without a single word, seventeen-year-old Narcissa close in tow, who gave a respectful nod before going off.

Andromeda, a pretty girl about eighteen, stood behind and gave her cousins a smile. "I apologize for her behavior. She really isn't always that terrible."

Sirius raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Are you sure about that?"

Andromeda sighed. "Alright, I lied. But Mother tells us to say that when Bella flies off the handle in the presence of company. She's actually a lunatic and this engagement hasn't put her in a better mood."

"You'd think getting married would brighten a person, but I suppose Bellatrix would be the exception," Sirius grumbled, obviously holding great contempt for the crazy woman.

Hermione forced herself not to nod, because she wasn't supposed to know the extent of Bellatrix's crazy, at least not yet.

"I'm Andromeda, though," she said kindly, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you and welcome to the noble and ancient house of Black."

Hermione shook her hand and understood right away why Sirius declared in her original timeline that Andromeda was his favorite cousin. She knew, of course, that soon Andromeda would be blasted from the family tree for marrying a muggle-born, but that didn't seem to have happened quite yet.

"Thank you," Hermione said, shaking the woman's hand.

"I hear my Aunt Walburga plans on marrying you off to Sirius, here, eh?" Andromeda said with an apologetic expression. "Sorry that you're going to be stuck with him forever. I fear purebloods are a little medieval that way."

"Oi!" Sirius said, puffing out his chest comically. "I'm not all that bad. And it isn't our fault our family is so stuck in the past that they have arranged marriages to only respectable pureblood families."

"Oh, the glories of inbreeding," Andromeda said sarcastically. "Perhaps…in this next generation there will be some change." She gave a small, knowing smile and a wink, putting a finger to her lips as to sign to keep what she said a secret. "I hope to see the both of you more often. Now, my mother is waving me over like I'm an owl at her bidding. Farewell."

"Told you she was the best," Sirius said with a grin.

Hermione nodded in agreement.

…~oOo~…

The next month passed slowly for Hermione and Sirius, who were confined to Grimauld and only went out when Walburga dragged her three children shopping. Hermione only saw Orion in the evenings and on weekends, but he seemed nice enough, if not a little too solemn. He'd be politely affectionate with her, the same as with his sons, dropping short kisses to her and Regulus's heads. Sirius didn't really get kissed on the head, probably because he was older than Regulus and a boy. Sirius didn't seem to mind though.

One weekend, they went on a family outing. They went to a wizarding museum, but they found out halfway through that the only reason Orion suggested the little day trip was because he had business with the curator. Regulus was stuck to Walburga's hip like a tumor while Sirius and Hermione explored the corridors of the large museum on their own. Portraits and paintings danced before them and the statues waved. One statue, of Godric Gryffindor, saluted the duo and Sirius straightened up like a soldier and saluted back, making Hermione laugh.

Then Hermione, Sirius, and Regulus all received their Hogwarts letters and it was time to go shopping yet again.

Diagon Alley was absolutely packed with children and parents and people rushing through the crowds to try and get to work.

Regulus was holding onto Walburga's hand while Sirius held Hermione's. Sirius and Hermione had become very good friends in her short time with the Blacks, and she really appreciated a familiar face that didn't want to kill her. On top of that, Sirius always took special care to make her laugh and cheer her up when he saw she was getting gloomy.

"Mother," Sirius said, "I'm going to take Hermione to the Quality Quidditch Supplies."

Hermione inwardly groaned. She should have guessed by all the posters in his room that Sirius was another Quidditch fanatic, but she had still been hoping he wasn't quite to the same obsessive degree as Ron and Harry.

"At one o'clock, meet us back at the Three Broomsticks, understand?" Walburga said firmly. If they were at home, she would have screamed at him, but seeing as they were in public she had to play nice with her least-favorite son.

"Yes, Mum," Hermione and Sirius said in unison. Sirius began pulling his sister by the hand, pushing his way through the throngs of people, towards the Quidditch supply store which was absolutely overflowing with boys and girls, some pressing their faces to the front window to gaze longingly at the newest broomsticks.

Some things, Hermione thought with a shake of her head, never changed no matter the era you live in.

Sirius wasn't the type to be kept waiting or even to be patient while some people left so that there was room, so he just continued keeping Hermione at his hip and swimming through the people, getting a lot of comments from them like "Watch it!" and "Oi!" and "Don't be a prat!"

"Quidditch," Sirius said proudly, "is the most amazing game in the entire world."

Hermione chuckled. "I somehow highly doubt that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you even remember what Quidditch is?"

"No," she lied quickly, "but I have read all the books you have on it in the library and I have to say it doesn't seem as amazing as everyone's worked it up to be."

"You and your books." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Pages cannot properly communicate how glorious the art of Quidditch actually is!"

"Art?" Hermione snorted, throwing her head back with a laugh while they worked themselves into a bit of clean air near the Keeper helmets. "It's a sport, Sirius, not an art!"

"You have to see a game to truly see that the game really is a masterpiece."

Hermione just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Here!" her brother said enthusiastically, lifting a leather helmet from the shelf. "Try on this! I bet you'd make a fabulous Keeper!" And he smacked the leather helmet down onto her head pushing down the brown bush of her hair by force.

"Sirius!" she snapped. "My hair is bad as it is! Take it off!"

Sirius was holding it down on her head, smacking away her hand as he clipped it under her chin. "Quit struggling! I think you look great!"

"I'm going to have helmet hair!" she said angrily, smacking his wrist. He pulled his hands away, having already managed the clasp.

Hermione was feeling at the straps under her chin, trying to fiddle with the release, but to no prevail. It was a complicated clasp and she didn't have a mirror and she grunted as she prodded at it with her fingers and Sirius watched on with amusement.

"You look fetching," he commented, grinning that charming grin that he was known for.

"Sirius, who is that poor girl that you are failing to flirt with?"

They both turned around the see two boys standing in the aisle as well.

Hermione's first thought of the speaker was "Harry!" but a second later she saw that this boy had blue eyes, not green, and lacked a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, but was identical to her best friend the Chosen One in every other way. Her heart thudded, realizing that this was the famous James Potter at thirteen.

And next to him stood a boy that Hermione look a little longer to recognize. He was average height for a boy of thirteen and had shaggy blonde hair and silvery eyes. There was a scar through his eyebrow and his shoulders were slumped in a way that made it clear he wasn't fond of being noticed. The way he kept his head angled downward was the sign of a shy boy. Hermione was godsmacked when she put two and two together in her head and knew him to be her future professor, Remus Lupin.

"James! Remus!" Sirius greeted joyfully, his smile only broadening. "What are you two numpties doing here?"

"The same reason as you," James said, gesturing the around the store as if it was obvious. Which it was.

"Harassing girls?" Remus inquired quietly, his brow furrowed, but a smirk on his lips.

"I was referring to the merchandise which the store sells," James corrected, "but, yes, I suppose we came for some of that as well. You still haven't answered the question, though. Who is this pretty girl?" He have Hermione his best winning smile.

"This, my friends," Sirius said, throwing his arm around Hermione's shoulder and bringing her forward into the light, "is my sister."

Both boys looked very confused. Remus had a calculating look in his eyes, trying to find out if he'd missed something over the past few years, but James was just shocked.

"No way that a girl as nice-looking as that came from your mother," James said doubtfully. He turned to her again with a smile. "I'm James, by the way. James Potter. Pleasure you make your acquaintance." He strut forward, took her hand in his and kissed the top of it.

Sirius smacked his friend's wrist, hard. "Hands off. She's mine."

James scowled his disgust.

Remus joined in, "I hope you realize, Sirius, that just because your parents are cousins does not mean you have to continue the incestuous trend."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "But she's so adorable, why wouldn't I want to marry her?" He pinched her cheeks affectionately.

Hermione slapped away his hand prodding her face and said, "Sirius, don't be such a git. You enjoy grossing out your friends far too much." She turned to face the two boys. "Orion and Walburga adopted me. I'm not actually his sister. My name's Hermione, by the way, since Sirius is far too rude to properly make introductions. And your name is Remus?" she asked the boy leaning against the shelf in a worn-out jumper and holey jeans.

He nodded. "Remus Lupin." He held out his hand to be shaken and Hermione obliged. "I'm sorry that both my friend and your brother are idiots."

"Oi!" James and Sirius said in unison.

"It's alright," Hermione said with a smile. "I'm starting to get used to Sirius, how hard can acclimating to James be?"

"Harder than you think," Remus whispered conspiratorially, giving a friendly wink.

"So," Sirius's voice interrupted their conversation, "James, how much did you have to pay Remus to come into the Quidditch store?"

"He didn't give me a Sickle," Remus said dryly. "He just took it upon himself to literally drag me."

"Is that an ongoing trend?" Hermione inquired, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, please," James said, shaking his head. "If I'd let him get to Borgin and Burkes, he would have never come out! I needed to do something!"

"Same for Hermione," Sirius said. "She's a bookworm if I've ever met one. I reckon she's read through half the family library in only the last month! She devours books like Peter devours pudding."

The boys all snickered at that, but Hermione's heart dropped from its place in her chest and into her stomach. Peter. There was only one Peter they could have been talking about. Hermione swallowed hard.

"You like books?" Remus asked her.

She nodded fervently.

"Then if you'd like, we could go to Flourish and Blotts while our comrades raid the Quidditch supplies," Remus offered kindly.

"Sounds wonderful," Hermione said with a smile. Even though this Remus was a lot smaller than the one she remembered, having him near her for only a few moments brought her great comfort. Remus had always been her favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and went on to be a very good friend, one that she could actually carry out an intellectual conversation with while the boys were all talking sports or chess.

"Oi!" Sirius said. "Aren't you going to ask me if it's alright first?"

Hermione gave him a sharp look. "Why would I have to ask you permission?"

"I wasn't talking about you," Sirius said. "I was talking about Remus! He's about to take my sister away, shouldn't he ask for my blessing?"

Remus smirked at his friend, a light blush coming to his cheeks. "I'm not courting her, Sirius, I'm just walking her to the bookstore."

"Courting, walking, marrying…it's all the same to me!" Sirius said tauntingly, putting his hands on his hips and doing his best impression of Orion's constantly somber look. "You must ask permission to spend time with her."

Hermione took a Bludger off a near shelf and pitched it into her brother's stomach, making him stumble back and knocking the air out of him with an "oof!" James pointed at Sirius and laughed, but was cut off when the exact same thing happened to him from Remus.

"Let's go, Remus," Hermione said with a satisfied smile. "I think we're done here. See you at the Three Broomsticks, Sirius!"

She and Remus were nearly at the door when he said, "Oh, wait a second. You're still wearing the Keeper helmet."

Hermione gasped, hands flying to her head and found that he was right. She blushed furiously in embarrassment, but Remus just smiled and reached under her chin to unclip the helmet for her, throwing it to the nearest shelf. He then held the door open for her like a gentleman.

At Flourish and Blotts, Hermione realized that she and Remus had even more in common with the books they read. They each talked about their favorite texts and laughed about particular books. He helped her reach higher shelves, but needed ladders at times since they were both still only kids.

Perhaps, Hermione thought, being in this timeline wouldn't be so bad after all. She'd already become a sister to Sirius and she could easily imagine a friendship with Remus, even James.

She genuinely smiled at the thought of her new future for the first time in a month.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS MAKE ME DANCE AND MY BABY BUMP TINGLE!

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	4. A Door Closed

A/N. HULLO EVERYONE! WELCOME TO CHAPTER FOUR! I've been getting a lot of positive feedback for this story and I love all of you for it! I'm hoping to get even more reviews following this chapter *crosses fingers*

Before you read this chapter, I'm going to just going to clarify little details that I didn't precisely make clear in my other Author Notes. My story is mostly canon following the battle, which means everyone that dies in the books dies in this universe, EXCEPT Remus Lupin. I couldn't kill him if I tried. ALSO, Tonks and Remus never married or had Teddy. In my mind and this story, previous to the Battle, Tonks and Remus were dating but he was still doing all that angsty older-man-and-poor-and-a-werewolf junk.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. It's depressing, I know. Because if I DID own Harry Potter - which I don't - I'd have killed Ron in book six and had Hermione marry Fred (who would be alive). On top of that, Sirius would have come back from the Veil (because in the books, he hadn't necessarily been hit with an Avada Kedavra, but just fell though - which in my mind makes him alive but in a limbo-ish place) and Remus would have died, but Tonks lived. But, hey, I'm not J.K. Rowling, so yeah.

Note as of March 30, 2013: This chapter has been beta'd by **Anne Bonham-Knightley**.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Four: A Door Closed

"HERMIONE WALBURGA BLACK, WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN IS TAKING YOU SO LONG? BLACKS ARE NEVER LATE!" the woman screamed up the stairs as her youngest son was standing by the door with his trunk and already in his uniform.

Hermione had heard a lot of "Blacks never…" and "Blacks always…" for the past few weeks. There seemed to be a lot of rules that went with belonging to the noble and ancient house of Black. It was getting rather tiring to remember them all, so - always the student - Hermione began writing them down in a notepad. Now, as she was triple checking that she had everything she needed, she slipped the pad from her pocket and scribbled down the newest rule: "Never… be… late," she murmured to herself as she wrote it down. She'd already filled five pages of these little instructions and a lot of them were contradictory, but still Hermione wrote them.

Sirius poked his head in. "Do you want Mum to fly off her rocker?" he asked, sounding amused.

"She's always off her rocker, Sirius," Hermione said, picking up her trunk. "You're the one who taught me that."

"Very true," Sirius acknowledged as they walked down the stairs with their heavy things. Walburga was tapping her foot impatiently and hurried them out the front door. Orion was with them as well, taking the rare day off from work to see off his children.

Platform 9 ¾ was stuffed tight with witches and wizards, plenty of First Years hanging on their parents and crying while dozens of Seventh Years were ducking kisses from their mothers, trying to look cool in front of their friends. A lot of girls who hadn't seen one another for an entire summer ran at each other and hugged in a rejoicing reunion. It was a stirring cauldron of emotions.

Walburga was hurrying her kids through to their train car and then stopped to fix Regulus's hair, pushing it back through her fingers. Then she checked Hermione's braid for loose strands and skirt for wrinkles. Regulus said a farewell to his mother and was quick to get on the train with his friends and away from his older siblings.

"Bye, Mum and Dad," Sirius said, knowing that he wasn't going to get any hugs or kisses. "Come on, Hermione."

"Actually," Orion said, "you go on. Hermione will catch up with you, but I'd like to have a word with her before she goes."

Sirius hesitated for a second, but obeyed and got on the train without a word. Hermione gulped, mildly afraid of being alone in the presence of her adopted parents. Neither were especially kind people and she had no clue what they had to say.

"Your mother and I are hoping you have a good year at Hogwarts," Orion said solemnly. "And we hope the best for your Sorting. But we have something for you before you go."

Orion reached into his pocket and had a little trinket-looking thing in his palm, but he tapped it with his wand and it expanded into a cage. Inside was a coal-black owl with topaz eyes and a single white feather in its left wing. It was the most beautiful and frightening thing she'd ever seen.

"This is our going-away-to-school present for you," Orion stated, handing over the cage. "Feel free to name him whatever you'd like. Using the Hogwarts' owls can be inconvenient, but this way you can have your own."

"Thank you," Hermione said sincerely, looking up at her father with a touched smile. "So much. I love him."

The owl had obviously been Orion's idea considering the grimace on Walburga's face.

"What do you think you'll name him?" Orion asked curiously.

Hmm…Hermione looked at the intimidating but majestic bird. "You know," she said, "I've always like the name Hugo."

"That's a perfect name, darling," Orion said sombrely, even if the words themselves were affectionate. "Now, hurry on up. You wouldn't want to miss the train."

"Thank you again for everything," she said.

Walburga bent down to kiss Hermione's cheek icily and Orion gently stroked her hair before she turned and stepped up onto the train, her luggage in tow. The train was as packed at the platform, toads hopping about and birds flying overhead.

She was hunting for a familiar head of black curly hair when she heard the voice, "'Mione, love! Over here!"

A few cabins ahead and to the right was Sirius, his head sticking out of the door and waving frantically for her to hurry over. "Come on! We've got someone we want you to meet!"

Hermione knew immediately who it was before she even entered the cabin and felt nauseas over it, especially when she saw the boy. He was a lump of a thirteen-year-old, short and round with string hair the color of mud and slightly too-big eyes, and crooked teeth. On his hands were all ten fingers.

"Peter, this is my sister Hermione. Hermione, this is Peter Pettigrew," Sirius said, gesturing between the two.

Peter was sitting against the window next to Remus who had a book open in his lap. In Peter's lap, however, was an assortment of treats and candies.

"Nice to meet you!" Peter said with a grin. "I've heard a lot about you."

"And I of you," Hermione said with a polite nod. Sirius was lifted her trunk and putting it on the racks above for her before dropping down beside James on the red upholstery.

Sirius patted the seat on the opposite side of James and she accepted it, crossing her ankles in the way Walburga taught her and folding her hands in her lap.

It was a long silence before Remus looked up from his book and across the cabin to Hermione with a friendly smile. "It's good to see you again, Hermione."

"You too, Remus," she said sincerely with a smile.

"So how was everyone's summer?" James broke in with a wide smile. Just then, the whistle blew and the train began to shift under them.

Peter was the first to answer animatedly about how his uncle took him hunting and then he went camping with his parents. He even detailed a story of how he went to a Muggle zoo.

All the while, Hermione was taking a text out of her book bag and began looking for the chapter she left off and Remus was like a mirror of her, looking down in his own book. Sirius was sleepy from having to wake up early, so immediately dropped his head to Hermione's shoulder and closed his eyes whilst using her like a pillow.

James was the only one who seemed to be trying to really look interested in Peter's story. It must have been a painful charade.

"How about you, Remus?" James asked once Peter took a long enough gap in his storytelling for breath.

"I already told you about my summer," Remus said, not lifting his gaze from the book he was so intrigued by.

James promptly took the shoe off his foot and threw it at Remus, hitting him right in the temple.

"Ouch!" Remus hissed, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"For being impolite! Not everyone in this cabin has heard about your summer, so you will tell us again!" James said bossily, lifting his chin into the air haughtily.

"Alright, Your Majesty," Remus drawled sarcastically, closing his book and taking a deep breath. "I did absolutely nothing all summer besides spend time with my family and write letters to all of you. There. Are you satisfied, James? Was that worth the closing of my book?"

"Indeed, my friend," James said, beaming.

Remus rolled his eyes and reopened his book to resume where he stopped.

"How about you, Sirius?" James asked, turning to look at his friend but closing his mouth when he saw that he was currently napping against his sister, his mouth open in abandon as soft snores floated out. "What a log," James commented. He looked back to Peter. "With the two bookworms and the bum, I suppose it's just you and me for the train ride, mate."

Hermione was only half-reading. She spent the rest of her time listening to the conversation going on. She wondered how she was going to make her way into an already tight-knit group like this one. Sirius had been easy enough, seeing as she'd lucked out in being literally adopted by his family. Remus was mild-mannered and sweet enough that being friends with him was practically a given. But James might be harder seeing as he seemed to enjoy Peter's company. And part of Hermione's task was making sure they didn't grow attached to the future traitor and Death Eater Pettigrew.

In his sleep, Sirius snored and nudged closer into Hermione's shoulder, which she found very amusing. In only a month, she and Sirius had seriously formed a sister-brother bond that somehow felt right. It was sad, but sometimes she found herself forgetting that he would be Harry's godfather and in another timeline was a convict who spent twelve years in Azkaban before escaping. For now, Sirius was just a young boy with hair that his mother hated and who loved Quidditch.

For Remus it was the same way. When she looked over the top of her book to the other blonde boy, she didn't see her professor or a werewolf, but a slightly shy and bookish boy whose hair was slightly uneven.

When she looked at James though, she had to force herself not to refer to him as Harry. And when seeing Peter red warning lights flashed inside of her. Sometimes she felt so deep into this timeline and others she felt as if she'd never left the other. Her mind was in a state that would get her stuck in the Incurable wing at St. Mungo's.

Stuck in two times mentally but in one physically. Yeah, she was a lunatic, no doubt.

Sirius was suddenly snuggled close to her, arms wrapping around her and face buried behind her neck. James saw this and smirked.

The trolley lady came around and knocked on the door. Sirius woke with a jolt, smacked his forehead into Hermione's chin with a loud slap.

"Ow!" they both exclaimed, holding their head and jaw. Hermione took her book and whacked her brother hard on the shoulder with it.

Hermione snapped, "You stupid -!"

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the elderly woman asked sweetly, paying no attention to the fact that Hermione was beating on Sirius.

James was in stitched because his friend had hurt himself and Remus was reading but looking on at the situation with amusement at the same time, but Peter was quick to buy more junk food.

This was going to be a long train ride.

…~oOo~…

The feast was as bountiful and colorful as Hermione remembered it to be. The head table of professors was almost the same as well, Hermione noted with a smirk. The only real differences are that there was no Trelawney and Slughorn was in the seat where she remembered Snape to be.

Snape was, though, sitting along a little further away, across the Hall at the Slytherin table, looking as sullen as always. He was scrawny and lanky and his greasy black locks fell to his shoulders, casting a long shadow on his face from his hooked nose.

It was all too surreal.

"It's funny," Sirius commented as he dug into the food in front of him, in a manner that reminded Hermione much of Ronald. Walburga would no doubt hemorrhage if she knew her son was eating like that in public. "Why do you think they didn't Sort you, 'Mione?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Remus mused, sitting across the table from her with James and Peter on either side of him like bookends.

"I assume," Hermione said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "that I'm going to be Sorted in private. After all, the Sorting ceremony is traditionally for First Years. I've already been sent an invitation from the Headmaster to have a meeting in his office later this evening."

Just that afternoon, Hermione sent Hugo with his first message. It was the piece of parchment at the bottom of the box that Dumbledore's portrait advised her to send to his past self once she arrived. She'd been delayed of course, with being confined to Grimauld, but better late than never. Only a half hour after sending the message, Hugo came back to her with a reply - and invitation to join Dumbledore for tea in his office after dinner.

"I wonder if they'll put you with the First Years in classes," James said with a smirk.

"They won't," Sirius said confidently, reaching for another chicken leg. It had to have been his seventh one in twenty minutes. "She's bloody brilliant. Smarter than all of us - even Remus."

"Looks like you've got some competition," James jived, nudging Remus playfully.

Remus didn't look insulted at all, he just smiled. "I don't mind. I hope they put her in the classes she deserves."

"She deserves," Sirius went on, "to be with the Seventh Years."

"He's just biased," Hermione tried to downplay. In all honesty, she should be graduated already, but she had to keep her "advanced" abilities to herself, otherwise everyone would be suspicious. No one could know of where she came from until after she finished her task - she'd already decided this. Until then, she had to blend in.

"No I'm not!" Sirius automatically refuted. "You should see the stuff she reads - stuff that isn't required until our last year! And she understands all of it! It's borderline scary. I wouldn't want to be caught on the wrong end of her wand, let's just put it that way." He stuffed more bread into his mouth.

Hermione stared at him with mild disgust. "Will you wipe your mouth and stop eating as though it's a trough in front of you and not silverware?"

Sheepishly, Sirius wiped his face on his sleeve and looked down at his plate like he'd just been scolded by his mother in front of his friends. Remus, James and Peter all grinned like maniacs at this. Apparently Sirius had met his maker.

"Do you plan on joining dueling club, then?" Remus asked.

Hermione wished that she could, she really did, but if she planned on blending in with her age group, she just couldn't. "Unfortunately, no," she said casually. "If I am put in all the classes that I requested, I will be far too busy for extracurricular activities."

"It's safer for the rest of the school that way, anyway," Sirius told them very solemnly. "She'd kill us all."

"Again," Hermione repeated, "you are just exaggerating because I am your sister."

"And you are just being modest," he shot back, pointing at her with his fork.

"I'm not nearly as exceptional as you are making me out to be!"

"Then how in the world do you explain…"

Their bickering went on like this, each shooting back words like bullets while the rest of their friends watched in rapture. This fighting seemed awfully familiar…

And then James saw it. "Sweet Merlin. You two are fighting like my mum and dad!"

Remus and Peter both nodded in agreement.

The brother and sister both broke off from their argument and turned to their friends with almost identical frustrated expression.

"We are not!" they both snapped in unison. Then they looked at each other, even angrier.

"Yes, you are," Remus agreed, nonplussed. "Are you sure you've only known one another for a month? Perhaps you were lovers in a past life?"

Sirius visibly gagged in repulsion. Hermione just sneered because in a past life they had not been lovers, they had been friends. And Sirius was just as childish now as he was then.

"It's a possibility," James said, nodding like this made sense. "Maybe you were my great-great grandparents and now you've come to haunt me as schoolmates."

No, Hermione thought. I'm actually your son's best friend come to save you from a horrible death. Not quite your grandparents.

…~oOo~…

"Sugar Quills," Hermione told the gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office. The passage opened up and she began scaling the stairs up to her Headmaster's study. She knocked on the large door lightly and it opened for her.

Sitting at his desk in bright purple and silver robes was Albus Dumbledore himself, his beard a little shorter, and only a little bit less white. His eyes held the same sparkle and wisdom Hermione always admired him for.

"Come, my dear," he said with a friendly smile. "Sit, please. Our tea will be here shortly."

Hermione took her seat and crossed her ankles and rest her hands on the arms of her comfy chair. A second later, a tray of tea popped on top of the desk from thin air. He casually began pouring the liquid into the cups.

"So…" Dumbledore began, handing her a saucer and cup. "You come from the future."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir." She dropped two sugar cubes into her tea and stirred it.

"I am going to preface this conversation by advising that you reveal as little about the future to me as possible," he said kindly. "I do believe it is better that way. The only details I particularly need to know are your House from your timeline and what classes you are best suited for. I am trusting your judgment seeing as for now, you know far more than I do in terms of this lifetime." He gave a special smile and wink over the rim of her tea cup.

"I was in Gryffindor, sir," she said. "And I was in all advanced classes. I am a Third Year now, you see."

"I am going to guess that you were not a Third Year before you came to this era, yes?" he asked.

She nodded.

"May I ask how old you were?"

"I was nearly eighteen, sir," she explained.

"Ah, a graduate then," he said, nodding. "I am sorry you will have to suffer through classes you've already taken, but I imagine that you will thrive no matter where you are put. It should be rather easy for you this time around."

Hermione nodded. She wasn't exactly dreading retaking classes at all. She was actually pretty excited. She could self-learn all the things she missed in Seventh Year when she hunted Horcruxes while simultaneously brushing up on all her previous knowledge.

"Also, may I inquire as to where you are keeping the Time-Turner currently?" he asked.

Hermione hesitated. She knew that this moment was coming, of course. Dumbledore had expressly said that once she arrived and began as a Third Year to destroy the Time-Turner. She had been seriously considering ignoring that little piece of the directions for an entire month, because killing the Turner was far too much like slamming a door to her past life permanently.

Reaching under the collar of her shirt, Hermione pulled out the long golden chain and held the little hourglass in her palm.

"You know what I am going to say, correct? If I am not mistaken, I have said it to you in your past, but in my future," Dumbledore said gently.

Hermione nodded and took the Time-Turner from around her neck and gingerly placed it on the ground like it could shatter at any moment. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and brought her shoe down onto the Time-Turner with all the strength she had. She heard a loud crunch and crack.

When she looked down, the Time-Turner was nothing but a small pile of gold dust and tiny shards of glass.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE? MAYBE? YES? NO?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	5. Another Box

A/N. If you read my story Prisoner, you are familiar with my "Challenges" - for those of you who don't know, these are a series of questions at the end of a chapter that I encourage to answer in the reviews (: it's so I can get feedback on where to take the story or what/who to add or take out. For this chapter, they're fairly simple, but become more complicated at the story goes on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Note as of March 30, 2013: This chapter has been beta'd by **Anne Bonham-Knightley**.

Enjoy!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Five: Another Box

2 YEARS LATER

Hermione was walking hand-in-hand with her brother on Platform ¾ for their third year together. Walburga was far ahead with Regulus, but Orion didn't bothering coming this year, claiming that his children were old enough to be sent away without their father there. He even tried convincing Walburga to stay home and let their children gain some kind of independence, but Walburga would never not see her favourite son Regulus off.

She barely even noticed Hermione and Sirius's existences anymore. Which was fine by them.

The only time anyone talked about Sirius and Hermione was when courting and nuptials came up. And every time such things came into conversation, the brother and sister would grimace and look at one another. The thought of marriage was becoming less and less appealing as time went on and Sirius and Hermione saw one another more and more like brother and sister.

This did not stop the incest jokes from their friends, of course.

Speaking of their friends…

Up ahead, Hermione saw a tall figure wearing a green jumper with short, sandy blonde hair.

"Remus!" Hermione called out, smiling widely.

Hearing his name, Remus instinctively turned around to see two of his best friends. The girl with long, bushy brown hair and front teeth only a little too big was waving at him excitedly, and pulling away from her brother to hurry towards him. Remus walked towards her in long strides as well, grinning, to meet her in the middle.

When they clashed, Hermione gave Remus the biggest hug she could manage on the tall boy. Remus returned the tight embrace, holding her to his chest and lifting her an inch from the ground as she laughed.

How she'd truly missed her best friend.

"Oi!" James said, walking over from a few feet away, smiling that mischievous smile of his. "Hands off Padfoot's girl! Merlin forbid an end to inbreeding!"

Remus and Hermione laughed good-naturedly at that. Sirius was right behind joined the group, sharing a manly hug with James before ruffling his already-untidy hair.

"Oh, I missed you both so much!" Hermione said, running straight into James's chest to give him an equally hard hug.

"She's never this happy to see me," Sirius commented sourly.

"That's because she had to suffer through an entire summer with a mangy prat like you," James said as he returned her hug, patting her back affectionately.

"Poor Whiskers," Remus added with a smile.

Hermione smiled at the nickname.

Their last year at Hogwarts had been a hectic one. Hermione had "found out" that Remus was a werewolf and suggested he tell everyone - except Peter, who everyone knew she did not hold any dear feelings for. After a few weeks of prodding and encouragement, Sirius and James knew about his "furry little problem" as they dubbed it, and suddenly James was pressuring them all into going through Animagi training to support their werewolf friend.

When Hermione succeeded in keeping Peter out of this Animagus plan, she knew she had succeeded in keeping Peter at a safe distance. They still talked to him, but Hermione had manipulated the situation enough that the three other boys and Peter drifted apart just enough.

She had not anticipated, however, becoming the new fourth Marauder.

It happened one they achieved they Animagus forms successfully. It had happened a few days apart for James and Hermione, but two weeks after them for Sirius to succeed. And once they had, they started to fall into the nicknames.

Hermione had been floored the first time James affectionately called her "Whiskers". And so it began.

"Yes, yes," Sirius said impatiently, "poor Whiskers had to spend a couple months with her favourite brother, how dreadful. Now can we please get on the train so we can discuss the you-know-what?"

They all knew exactly what.

So they got on the train and found an empty cabin, immediately shutting translucent doors and locking them.

"I am now calling this Marauders meeting to order," James declared, chin held high, as he stood at the front of their cabin while Sirius lounged across a seat horizontally, taking it up all the space with his long legs. Across from him were Remus and Hermione beside one another, her legs curled up to her chest and arms draped around them comfortably. Remus's legs were stretched out in front of him, crossed, while he leaned back in the seat.

"Well isn't this a sorry bunch," James, fifteen-years-old noted with a raised eyebrow. "You all look like a bunch of unicorns with the plague."

"That's awful," Hermione said mildly.

"Well, that's how you all look." James then cleared this throat. "We all know why we're here -"

"To go to Hogwarts," Remus interrupted with a smirk. "We are, after all, on the Hogwarts Express."

"No, you buffoon!" James said with mock anger. "We are here to discuss the progress our resident kitty-cat made with the Map. Miss Whiskers?" he prompted.

"I really wish you wouldn't refer to me as if I was only a cat and not a human the majority of the time," Hermione said simply. "But asking you to do this would be the equivalent of asking a brick wall to move, wouldn't it?"

"Not at Hogwarts," Sirius corrected, holding up a finger. "At Hogwarts when you ask the walls to move, they do."

"Fair point," James granted Sirius. "But yes, Whiskers, it would be the equivalent of asking a Muggle wall to move. If you wouldn't mind, pretty kitty, please tell us about the Map."

Hermione sighed but started shuffling through her saddlebag and brought out a stack of parchment. Everyone in the cabin smiled at their invention-in-the-making.

"I solemnly swear," Hermione recited, holding her wand to the parchment, "that I am up to no good."

Ink started bleeding up through the pages in patterns, and words began to disappear. Every time this happened, everyone's hearts beat faster in anxiousness.

The front page read, Messer's Moony, Whiskers, Padfoot, and Prongs proudly present the Marauders Map.

Only after they had created the introduction last year did Remus point that Hermione technically wasn't a "Messer", but they all agreed that it sounded better this way, even if Hermione was a girl. Hermione said "Messer's and Miss" would have sounded stupid, so it remained the same.

"How has it been going with the charms, Hermione?" James asked.

Hermione said, "I think it's almost done. Of course, I am sure there are still passageways to find." She looked pointedly at James.

"I'm starting to have a feeling that you use me just for my Invisibility Cloak," James said with a smirk.

"I'm just pointing out that you're the only one with the means to look for different rooms and corridors to put on the Map," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Sirius and I were caught right after finding the Honyduke's cellar passageway and given detention for weeks," James pointed out. "Why don't you and Remus have a go at it this year?"

"Because," Hermione said, "Remus and I do most of the work on the Map. If we were to go passage hunting, then that would mean allowing you to have a go at charming the map. And knowing you and Sirius, well…" she trailed off.

"It would be ash within the hour," Remus finished for her, "and all our hard work will have gone to waste."

"Oi!" James said, chest puffing. "I'm actually quite talented at spells."

"And I only blow things up when I intend to," Sirius added, grinning mischievously at his sister.

Hermione paused and then gasped in realization. "You! You're the one who charmed my toiletry bag to explode when I opened it! I thought it was Regulus, you git!" She made to stand from her seat, but James gently pushed her back down.

"Sibling squabbles will be postponed until a later date," James declared. "We have more pressing matters to tend to."

"I'm actually more interested," Remus said, "in why, of all things to blow up, Sirius would make her toiletries explode?"

Hermione dropped her head into her hands, blushing furiously.

"I was beginning to realize a pattern this summer," Sirius explained. "Once a month, my dear sister here, would take on all the pleasantness of a Dementor. When she stepped into a room, it would get drastically colder and it felt as if I'd never be happy again. So I obviously needed to find out if she had a curse put on her or it was simply a woman's natural cycle. The exploding feminine products proved the latter."

Hermione groaned, her face burning uncontrollably. "Why are you such an idiot?"

"It's not my fault," Sirius defended. "It's yours, for being a moody witch once a month."

"I would actually blame Mother Nature for that one," James joined in.

"I think," Remus butted in, holding up a hand for all conversation to stop, "Hermione would appreciate it if we stopped talking about her…female…things. I'm sorry for asking, Hermione. It was stupid of me to think that Sirius's explanation wouldn't be absolutely psychotic."

"It's alright," Hermione sighed, her cheeks still red. "It's not a big deal."

"I can't believe you blew up her tampons, mate," James said, shaking his head.

"Is that what those tube things are called?" Sirius asked in awe.

"That's it!" Hermione snapped. "James! Sirius! You are indefinitely banned from the cabin! You will escort yourselves out and wander aimlessly around the train until I see it fit to allow you back in!"

"You can't do that," Sirius said confidently. "You don't own the train."

"No, but I do own our mother's address and Hugo," Hermione said, playing her trump card. "And imagine what she would say when I wrote her that it was you who caused such a mess in the bathroom last month with your little explosives."

"On second thought, I could really go for a stroll," Sirius exclaimed brightly, jumping up from the seat. "Would you accompany me, Prongs?"

"Gladly, Padfoot!" James agreed and the two were out of the cabin faster than if you had said "free World Cup match tickets".

Hermione let out a heavy sigh once they were gone and massaged her temples. "Of all the bedrooms I could have landed in three years ago," she moaned, "why did I end up in Sirius Black's?"

"Personally," Remus said kindly, "I'm grateful it was his bedroom. Because I can't imagine what school would be like without you, 'Mione."

Hermione smiled at Remus and said, "You truly are my best friend. I love you, Moony."

"And I love you, Whiskers. Even if you were unfortunate enough to have a cat as your Animagus," he added, almost as an afterthought. "And not even a lion or leopard - no. You got a house cat. I pity you, really." His grin was teasing.

"Excuse me," Hermione said haughtily, "but I rather like being a cat. And may I remind you that Professor McGonagall's Animagus is also a cat? She is one of the most powerful witches of the century."

"Whatever," Remus dismissed with a boyish grin. "I'd still have rather you been a canine."

…~oOo~…

"It's actually a good thing she's hacked off, mate," Sirius said as they walked down the aisle of the train. "I needed to talk to you in private anyway."

"Oh no, what've you done now?" James said with a roll of his eyes. "And why wasn't I in on it?"

"It's nothing like that!" Sirius immediately refuted. "No. It's about my father calling me into his study last night."

James's eyes got big. James was mortally terrified of Orion Black. "But…why?"

"He gave me this." Sirius dug into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box that fit in the palm of his hand. "And he said that if Hermione wasn't wearing it by Christmas…well…it was more than implied that there was a lot more on the line than just my inheritance."

"But…you and Hermione are fifteen!" James said, eyes bugging. "You can't get married!"

"They don't plan on having the wedding until we graduate," Sirius said, slipping the box back into his pocket. "But they want to have our engagement secured now so that things can't change."

"So you have to…propose…to your sister…by Christmas," James said very slowly, the words feeling funny in his mouth.

"Yes."

"Then, just, uh, do it, I guess," James stuttered, unsure of what else to say.

"But that's not all, James," Sirius said gravely, leaning forward so only James could hear. "She has to say 'yes'."

"Well, good luck with that," James said, "because she'd never accept. Ever. She'd rather throw herself from the Astronomy tower than say yes."

Sirius's spirits visibly dropped into a very dark place.

"What's wrong with you?" James demanded. "Normally you'd jump at any chance to piss off your parents and rebel. Why is this any different?"

Sirius rubbed his forehead. "She needs to say yes."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're less worried about your parents murdering you and this angst has to do with something else?" James observed suspiciously.

"What I am about to tell you, if you tell another soul, I will not hesitate in shaving your head in the middle of the night and sending it in a box to Lily Evans with a forged love note from you, understood?"

James gulped at the severity of this and nodded.

"When my parents…first mentioned seriously that they expected Hermione and I to marry one day…it was the first time in my life that I was happy to be in a pureblood family."

"Huh?"

"I want to marry Hermione, James," Sirius said solemnly, no hint of joking in his voice.

"But…why?" James asked, absolutely frazzled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius huffed. "She's funny, kind, intelligent…"

"She's kind of lacking in the looks department though, isn't she?" James mentioned, not rudely. "Those teeth and that hair…"

"I think they're cute," Sirius snapped, glaring at his friend. "She is adorable."

"I always thought you saw her as your sister, though," James said.

"For a while, I did. But then, I don't know…she grew on me."

James paused. "She'd kill you if she knew this."

Sirius snorted. "You think I don't know that?"

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW? PLEASE?

Challenge: 1. It's Fifth Year. What do you anticipate happening this year? 2. What was your favorite line from this chapter? 3. Do you think Hermione and Remus will let James and Sirius charm the Map? 4. What do you believe Pettigrew would do in order to regain is position within the Marauders? 5. Will Sirius propose? If so, how do you think he'd do it?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	6. Silence Speaks

…~oOo~…

Chapter Six: Silence Speaks

The first feast of the year was always hectic, especially with the Sorting right before it. Hermione would have to watch as Sirius and James leapt up from the table with cheer and howl and shout every time a First Year was put in Gryffindor. Remus would applaud and whistle as well, but he had the decency to remain in his seat. Sometimes Sirius would run up and down the Gryffindor table, giving high-fives. James once lifted the recently-Sorted First Year into the air and carried him to a seat.

"Thank God you're low-key, Remus," Hermione said to him quietly.

"I try," Remus said with a smirk.

"When do you think they'll stop?" Hermione asked.

"When the very last First Year is Sorted," Remus said simply. "Thank Merlin this incoming class isn't too big."

James and Sirius starting boo-ing and swearing and stomping their feet, slamming their fists on the table. A Slytherin was apparently Sorted. The boys received a very sharp glare from Professor McGonagall, but neither cared. They just continued.

"Oh, look who it is!" Sirius said with a grin, pointing across the Hall. "It's Snivellus! We missed him on the train!"

"After dinner, we best say hello," James said silkily, wearing an evil grin. "It would be rude not to."

"You two are horrible," Hermione chided. "Can't you just stop bullying the poor boy? Don't you think he's having a hard enough time as it is?"

"He isn't having nearly a hard enough time, as far as I'm concerned," James answered with a shrug.

"I agree," Sirius added.

They'd been completely ignoring Dumbledore's speech, but next thing they know, food appeared in front of them and Sirius's face was stuffed like a chipmunk's within the same second.

"Perhaps they'll listen to you?" Hermione whispered Remus.

Remus shrugged. "Why would they listen to me? They rarely listen to people they're _supposed_ to listen to. They're lost causes, as far as I'm concerned."

A loud clearing of a throat came from across the table. "What are you two conspiring about?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your demise, of course," Hermione said, dead-pan. "Remus will murder you when you're sleeping and then I'll bury you in the Forbidden Forest, only after selling your organs to gremlins for twenty galleons and piece."

Sirius grimaced. "That's fowl. You've definitely been spending too much time with me." He took a long pull of his apple cider. "Anyway, Remus couldn't hurt a fly…well, when he's not dealing with his furry little problem, of course."

Hermione had a mental flash of Remus's very advanced dueling capabilities in the future. "I think he _could _hurt a fly," Hermione challenged.

James snorted. "A spider too, I bet."

"_Really_, I mean it," Hermione said, harder. "Tell them, Remus. Tell them that you could be violent if you wanted."

"Why would I _want_ to be violent?" Remus inquired, nonplussed.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Say Sirius went insane - and let's face it, it's not all that far off from the truth - and he drew his wand on you. What would you do?"

"Disarm him," Remus said simply, seeming bored by the hypothetical situation. He started cutting his pork.

"But what if he blocked you," Hermione persisted. "A duel must ensue. What would you do?"

"Stupefy him."

"He throws an Unforgivable at you."

Remus's brow furrowed more. "Why would Sirius send an Unforgivable at me?"

"I can't be sure," Hermione said with a shrug. "He's insane, remember."

"I still hope we're talking about the state of my sanity in a hypothetical way, correct?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

Hermione ignored her brother. "I just don't think Sirius or James should underestimate you, Remus. After all, I'd bet that you were the best duelist out of us."

A pink color rose high on Remus's cheeks. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Well, I would," Hermione insisted, pushing a frizzy curl behind her ear. "There a lot more to dueling that sneaking up on an unsuspecting Slytherin and hexing them. They don't realize that."

It was somewhere around that point that James, easily distracted as he was, completely checked out of the conversation, staring down the table, riveted by someone down there. They all eventually saw that their messy-haired friend was staring through his glasses far off and they followed his gaze.

There, at the other end of the table, was a certain pretty girl with curly, auburn hair and green eyes.

"Oh, no," Sirius muttered. "Here we go again."

James didn't even hear him, just continued ogling.

"I thought you were all for James's unhealthy obsession with Lily Evans?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Sirius sighed, "but every year, without fail, the entire first month of school she's all he talks about and about how this will be 'the year' and blah, blah, blah. It gets boring after a while."

"I'm sure James puts up with whoever your infatuation of the week is," Hermione said.

Sirius hesitated. "I don't have an infatuation _every_ week."

"I don't believe that," Hermione said, stabbing her chicken with her fork and knife in a delicate manner.

"And you shouldn't," Remus said. "I share a dorm with you, Padfoot, remember? You talk about different girls all the time."

"But I never make a move on them," Sirius said firmly.

"Yes, why _is_ that?" the werewolf asked. "The only reason I can think of is…" Remus paused. "But, no, that's not possible. Never mind."

Hermione's ears perked up. "No, please, tell us. I am fascinated in your hypothesis."

Remus worked out his theory mentally before explaining, "The only reason I can think of is that everything he says is all talk because he has someone specific in mind that he doesn't want us to know about."

The girl's eyes widened. "Padfoot, are you in love? Is it an ugly girl? Or, better, a Slytherin? Or perhaps you've finally come to terms with the fact that you're mad for Rosmerta?"

"Of _course_ I'm mad for Rosmerta," Sirius said as if it were obvious. "She's my _soul mate_."

"Be serious," Hermione said.

"I _always_ am." Sirius smiled broadly.

Remus and Hermione face-palmed themselves.

"The worst decision Walburga Black _ever_ made," Remus groaned, "was naming him."

…~oOo~…

"Dammit, Remus!" Sirius shouted the moment the three boys entered their dorms. The room was sparkling clean…for now, that is. Only wait until they unpacked and lived in it for a little while - a tornado would be easier to clean up from.

Remus remembered the first time Hermione walked into their room in Third Year. She'd almost passed out from just the sight and smell. Not an inch of surface or floor was visible and the smell was a combination of dirty clothes and sweat from Qudditch. That year, Hermione cleaned their room once a week. The year after that it was once a month and now she didn't care enough and thought of it as a deliberate punishment to Sirius that he had to breathe in his own filth.

Last year James had made the very bad decision of attempting to brew Draught of Living Death in their bed room. There was a malfunction and it smelt like death - literally - for a month.

"You'd almost think you wanted Hermione snooping around my life with accusations like at dinner!" Sirius snapped, throwing his hands up and marching to his bed. He dragged his trunk up on the mattress and opened it. "All that about my heart being set on someone…ridiculous!"

"I never exactly used that phrasing," Remus said mildly. "'Heart being set'. All I implied was that you may have someone particular in mind that you're hiding from us."

James kept his mouth shut - and that was far more noticeable than if he'd anything at all.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Remus said, "James…what do you know?"

"I know nothing, nothing at all," he quickly said, straightening his glasses.

James was an infamously lousy liar.

"What has Sirius told you? Who is the girl? Do we know her? Is she a Gryffndor?" Remus listed slowly with deliberate annunciation.

James practically had sweat pooling on his forehead and in his palms.

Sirius told his partner-in-crime urgently, "Stay strong, mate. You can do this. Don't make all that we say about you behind your back true."

"What the bloody hell do you say about me behind my back?" James screeched.

"That you suck at lying and none of us can tell you secrets."

James sighed. "It's true…"

Remus shook his head. "James, if you don't tell me, I'm going to ask Evans out myself and you know she'll say yes."

Eyes widening into a puppy-like look, James let out a little whimper. "That's unfair. Pads, just tell him!"

"_No_."

"Fine," Remus said, feigning casualty. "I'll just go and tell Hermione that my suspicions were correct." He calmly started walking towards the door.

The movement was a blur. Sirius had shot from his bed to block the door fully with his body in a tenth of a second. His arms were spread and his looked desperate. "You can't tell her _anything_."

"Why not?" Remus demanded. "She's a Marauder too, you know!"

"She's the reason why I shouldn't tell you, Remus!" Sirius pointed out. "Because you and her, you're like…James and me."

"No, we're not," Remus immediately refuted.

"Not that you're _like_ us, just that something about you two just…clicks," Sirius said, "and I know if I were to tell you it would be hard for you to keep it from her in the same way it would be hard for me to keep something from James and vice versa."

James Potter snorted. "Excuse me, but I keep tons from you. I live a whole double life. I'm like fucking Batman and you have no clue."

Sirius obviously didn't know who Batman was, but just said, "Shut up, James."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Remus said carefully. "You don't want to tell me…because it would be hard for me not to tell Hermione…but I still don't know why I can't tell Hermione. She's our friend, your sister. Sure, she'd take the mickey out of you, but so would James and I. Why can't Hermione know?"

"Because it's her, for Merlin's sake!" Sirius exploded. "You can't very well tell the woman I'm in love with that I love her, now can you?"

Remus looked as if someone had just hit him upside the head with a frying pan. "_What_? She's your _sister_!"

"Why is it," Sirius said, his lip curled in annoyance, "that everyone forgets Hermione is adopted."

"That doesn't matter!" Remus automatically shot back. "She's a sister to all of us! We protect her, we annoy her, we make her do our homework…she isn't someone you should be having randy thoughts about - _she has the same last name as you_!"

"Oh, please," James piped in. "As if we all haven't had the randy dream or two about Whiskers."

Sirius and Remus stared at James, eyes bulging from their sockets and their jaws taut.

Sirius bellowed, "_You've had sex dreams about my sister_?"

…~oOo~…

The next day, James had a black-eye and Sirius looked supremely pissed at the world. Remus was even more silent than usual and Hermione just had to watch them all. For the first time since she met the boys, they were all feuding at once, but in complete silence. There'd been fights of course, over silly boy things, but they'd fight by screaming and hexing. Never had they initiated a silent treatment.

It was terrifying. So terrifying that Hermione began longing for their bickering. Four days passed and it was seeming as if their friendship really was dangling off a cliff. Hermione was desperate to get them on speaking terms again.

One day was dinner, Sirius was sitting on her side of the table, which wasn't completely unusual, but he usually preferred to sit beside James because at least she couldn't reach to whack him. But that Friday, Sirius was sitting beside her, curled up into her with his head on her shoulder and playing with a piece of her hair. This too wasn't abnormal - Sirius was just a snuggle person.

James and Remus sat across from them and James was ogling at Lily, as usual. Remus seemed fascinated by the spot where Sirius's cheek met Hermione's shoulder. And they all carried an air of tension.

"How was everyone's day?" Hermione eventually asked.

There was no answer.

"I heard the Slytherins' bathroom flooded again," she offered up.

Still silence.

"A Hufflepuff threw up in potions?" she added, getting desperate. When everyone once again ignored her, she slammed her book down, making everyone jump. "For God's sake, you idiot! Stop being so stubborn and speak to one another again and get over it! I have no clue what happened, but I know it's silly and isn't worth losing your friendship! Now apologize to each other now or else I will join the silence and make sure I pretend none of you exit - which means you're on your own for homework. So, apologize. _Now_."

They all stared blankly.

"It's a lot more complicated than you think," Sirius said, lifting from her shoulder.

"You're teenage boys," Hermione spat. "Nothing is _ever_ as complicated as you claim."

"It sort of is this time, Hermione," Remus said gently.

"I don't care!" she snapped. "I don't care if one of you killed the other's familiar - you will apologize now!"

They all murmured, merely to appease their friend, "Sorry," in unison.

"That didn't sound particularly sincere," Hermione growled.

Remus cleared his throat. "I apologize, James. Sirius."

"As do I," James said, sounding abashed.

"I'm not bloody sorry," Sirius hissed.

"_Sirius_!" Hermione's voice raised two pitches.

"I'm not sorry because I did nothing wrong."

"You _punched _James in the _face_."

"How could you possibly know that black eye was my fault?"

"Because Remus is too smart for that and the only other person who shares you room is Peter and if he punched James then he'd be dust right now," Hermione shouted. "So seeing as Remus is rational and I saw Peter in class today - alive and not dust-like - then it was _you_."

Sirius was shaking his head and faced Hermione with a dark, stormy expression. "I don't have to explain myself to you." His voice was low and deep and dangerous.

"And I don't have to stand by and watch you ruin the relationships you have with the only people who have been like family to you and I," Hermione shot back, her throat sounding thick. Sirius saw a telltale shimmer of tears in her eyes and she wrenched herself away from the table and marched out of the Great Hall, looking furious, her hair throwing off sparks.

…~oOo~…

For a month Sirius tried to weasel his way back into his sister's good graces. He was obstinate enough to not apologize to her - he had, however, said sorry to James and Remus the moment she left dinner that night - but that didn't keep him from sitting close to her in the common room or hunting her down in the library.

When she was studying, she'd just sit with her. Sometimes he'd talk even though he knew she wouldn't answer, just to fill the aching silence. She treated him the same way she'd a ghost - only not a ghost like Peeves or Sir Nicholas. No, like a invisible ghost - like air.

And Remus hated it just as much because even though she was talking to James and him, she always had a touch of sadness in her eyes and a veil of dejectedness over her. She sighed a lot and found that she floated off into her thoughts, a little crinkle in her brow as she did.

One day right after their potions class and they had a free period, Sirius announced routinely, "I'm going to the library to find Hermione."

And finally Remus spoke up, "Maybe you should give her some space. She'll come back on her own."

Sirius gave a small smirk. "That's not how I work, mate."

It was true. Sirius was a confrontational being.

Still, Remus said, "Then…maybe you should try actually saying sorry."

Sirius let out a long sigh. "I was thinking about it. But at this point I don't think it will count for much."

"Just say sorry and then say you'll buy her a book and lunch during the Hogsmeade trip coming up," James suggested.

Walking backwards away from his friends, Sirius nodded. "You guys are right. I better go catch her before she finds a new hiding space." And he ran off.

Remus sighed. Sirius was going to somehow manage to fuck up a simple "sorry"…he knew it.

Sirius hadn't beat Hermione to the library, but he knew her favorite place to sit. It was a window seat in the very back of the stacks. It was dusty back there and secluded. But Sirius knew how to find her. He always did.

Sure enough, there she sat, leaning against the stained glass, a book eternally in her lap. The sun was acting as a book lamp and made her skin shine.

She heard his footsteps and looked up. For the first time in a month, she gave him a smile, even if it was weak.

"Sirius -"

"Hermione, I am truly -"

"I know -"

"Yes, but -"

"I understand, I shouldn't have -"

"No, it was all my -"

"Really, Sirius let me -"

And to cut off her sentence, he took her face in his hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. It wasn't a particularly tender kiss - just hard pressure between their lips. Hermione drew back in shock, but Sirius was determined and captured her mouth once more.

And Hermione let him.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Once Hermione is done letting Sirius kiss her, what do you think she'll do/say? 2. What do you think about James being a horny teenage boy? Hehe. 3. How do you think Hermione will prove to the boys that Remus isn't as reserved as he seems?


	7. Silence Breaks

A/N. This is a shorter chapter, I think, but still a lot happens (: The chapters after this we will be starting to get into Hermione's task. Things get complicated, hehe

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Enjoy!

…~oOo~…

Chapter Seven: Silence Breaks

Sirius's lips left Hermione's. He sighed and pulled away. He'd continued to kiss her hard and fast for a minute.

"Are you done, yet?" Hermione inquired quietly, her lips glistening and pink.

All Sirius could do was nod.

Hermione lightly cleared her throat and pushed back the hair he'd had tangled around his hand. She lifted the book from the window and said, "I will see you at dinner, then." And she walked away casually as if absolutely nothing odd happened.

Standing there, stunned, Sirius stared after the girl with no clue what to do.

Then it hit him.

_Run after her, of course! What are you doing just standing here, you idiot! _his conscience screamed. Sirius's feet took over after that, trailing after the girl he was going to marry - whether she knew it or not yet.

When he caught up to her, she was outside the library, leaning her back against the wall, head bowed forward and seemed to be doing some deep breathing. At first he thought something was wrong, but then he realized that she was…freaking out.

…~oOo~…

_Pull yourself together, Hermione, _her mind was uttering frantically. _You can't breakdown like this. Remember, he isn't your friend's godfather. He isn't even actually your brother. He's just a boy, like Ronald or Viktor…or Remus…_

_And James! _her head quickly added to the list. He was a boy too even if she didn't hold him in a romantic light. Not that she held Remus in a romantic light…Not at all.

She shook her head hard, trying to make sense of what just happened. Sirius kissed her. Hard. It was a forceful, I-might-die-in-a-few-seconds type of kiss. She had basically stood there and let him explore her mouth as much as he liked and she had to control herself and force herself not to melt under his attentions.

Sirius Black was an amazing kisser. His lips were confident and warm and his tongue was like velvet. And if she had to admit it, he'd tasted fantastic. Like peppermint for some reason. Hermione's favorite candy were candy canes and now that she knew Sirius tasted like them, it gave a certain appeal to kissing him.

As she lean back against the stone walls of the castle she didn't know what to do. While Dumbledore said that as long as her mission was completed than she could basically have free reign in the timeline and not worry about altering the future because it had already been altered.

But Hermione had made a pact with herself. No happiness, no romance, nothing as influential as crushes/love/attraction could happen until she completed her task. It was too distracting and got in the way.

"Hermione…"

_Oh, no…_she inwardly groaned. She looked up to Sirius's voice. He stood there, hands tucked in his pockets, looking somber and possessed a tiny crinkle in his brow. But Hermione knew better than to ever think Sirius could possibly be nervous - that just wasn't possible.

"I think we should talk…" he pronounced slowly.

Hermione snorted half-heartedly. "I don't think so. I think we should just…_not_ talk about it."

He walked forward and bent his head down to meet her eyes. "I kissed you," he said.

"I know that," Hermione whispered.

"And you let me."

Hesitantly, Hermione nodded.

"If I kissed you again would you let me?"

Hermione shook her head this time.

She saw Sirius's Adams apple bob as he swallowed before he asked commandingly, "Why not?"

"Because…Sirius…we're brother and sister," she uttered, grabbing at any excuse she could.

"We're not _really_ siblings, Hermione," he said with a hint of anger flaring up behind his words.

"Be that as it may, we're close friends," Hermione said under her breath, looking down at her toes. "And friends shouldn't kiss. It would complicate things."

"Fuck complications," he growled, leaning forward more so that their noses were mere inches apart. "It shouldn't have to be complicated. If I want to kiss you and you want to kiss me…then what's so difficult about that?"

"I haven't said whether I wanted to kiss you or not," Hermione said. He was making this hard for her to let him down gently. She couldn't tell him the truth, so she was going to have to use whatever excuse she could.

"If you didn't want to kiss me," Sirius said lowly, "then you would have pushed me away and hexed me. I'm not stupid, 'Mione, you're a strong girl and wouldn't accept being pushed around. It's not how you work."

Hermione pushed herself up off the wall hard and Sirius didn't move. They were chest to chest and their pulses were pounding. Hermione slid sideways to edge away and began walking. He was close behind. "It's not that I wanted to kiss you," she told harshly, getting fed up with his persistence. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I was being polite and now you have worn out my manners. Leave me alone, Sirius."

"Bullshit," Sirius said with just as much venom. "You're a worse liar than James. You liked me kissing you. You had even closed your eyes and your cheeks turned pink."

Hermione's pace sped up and she was stalking away faster, but Sirius snatched the wrist of his uniform and pulled her back to facing him. He looked down at her and said with precision, "You enjoyed the kiss just as much as I did. Now. Stop overanalyzing for ten seconds and let me kiss you again."

Sirius took both of her wrist and guided her hands into his hair and around his neck before he curled his arms around her waist and brought down his mouth to hers softly. Not demanding or hard like the first kiss, but gentle and tentative and sweet, their lips meeting again and again in deliberate, barely-there brushes.

And Hermione was melting. Head to toe, she was disintegrating into a puddle.

A contented sigh escaped from her lips and Sirius grinned. James and Remus could eat their words. She would have Hermione. It was inevitable. He was sure it was the reason she landed in his bedroom when he was thirteen - they were made to be together.

He had no idea of the real reason she landed in his room, but the memory of her time-altering task pulsed in the back of Hermione's mind in time with her thudding heart.

So consumed by their kiss, neither noticed that Remus had come looking for the both of them, seen the intimate embrace and locking of lips before promptly turning and walking away.

…~oOo~…

Hermione and Sirius mentioned nothing of their sudden intimate actions with their fellow Marauders. Remus knew though. James was blissfully ignorant.

Remus felt the faintest hint of betrayal. The fact that Whiskers and Padfoot were keeping such a monumental secret set his teeth on edge. Of course it had a lot to do with the fact that it was _Hermione_. And _Sirius_. Hermione, so innocent and bookish. Sirius, so obnoxious and proud.

It was all just so completely wrong in Remus's head.

Remus watched Hermione closely from across the classroom in Potions. Slughorn was going on about a tonic for warts, but Remus couldn't have cared less. Across the room was Hermione, taking notes intently while her partner, Alice, daydreamt.

Remus spent a lot of time watching Hermione, though he was careful not to be obvious about it. Always out of the corner of his eye, or just glancing over the covers of a book, and sometimes, like now, in class when everyone was either focused on the teacher or his papers.

For a year. A year Remus watched Hermione from afar. He knew better than to flirt or move closer. Hermione was far too perfect for the likes of him. The knowledge of that was like an arrow lodged through his chest. All at once he knew there would never again be someone so amazing for him and that he could never have her.

Remus was almost relieved she was with Sirius because he wouldn't have to worry about his own feelings anymore because she was taken. Almost, that is. Most of the time he was just angry.

Even now as Sirius sat in the desk in front of him with James, Remus watched Sirius scribbling furiously at a piece of parchment before folding it up into a little butterfly-like creature. The boy tossed it into the air and the paper-folding took flight across the room and landed, still fluttering, in Hermione hair.

The girl gave a little jump at the sound of rustling papers in her ear when she'd been so consumed with taking notes and carefully reached up and plucked the butterfly from her hair.

Sirius nudged James awake and nodded over across the room. Remus, James and Sirius all watched as Hermione unfolded the little creature and read what was inside. Remus had to hold back a snort when she rolled her eyes and gave her brother a terse look. She quickly scribbled a short response and flicked her wand. The folded square of paper whipped through the air over the other kids' head so fast, James had to duck for fear of getting hit.

Sirius grabbed the paper mid-air before it could slice open his face and opened it to find the words in big, bold letters:

**PAY ATTENTION TO SLUGHORN. I'M NOT DOING YOUR HOMEWORK AGAIN. **

James snickered and Remus hid a smirk. So she hadn't changed after all, even if she was secretly lovey-dovey with Sirius. It was nice to know that she wasn't going to suddenly be blinded by his charms just because they were snogging in dark corners of the castle.

Sirius looked over at Hermione with a disgruntled, annoyed look and stuck out his tongue. She just pointedly looked back down at her notes, inked her quill, and resumed all the while very obviously ignoring him.

"Better luck next time, Pads," James whispered. "She'll come around."

Remus's smile disappeared. Unbeknownst to James, Hermione had already come around.

…~oOo~…

Dinner a few nights later had been torture for Remus. Sirius sat by Hermione and did his usual cuddling routine. Only their was a different atmosphere about it. Just something so much…deeper. Remus had no clue if he was imagining it because of his knowledge, because James certainly didn't notice anything different…then again, James wasn't the most perceptive of people. After all, Lily Evans had flat out told him that she'd drink a vial of Draught of Living Death before dating him and he still went around telling everyone that he was going to capture her heart one day.

So, yeah, maybe James wasn't the best person to trust as being observant.

Sirius was leaning up against Hermione and playing with the end of her hair. Only Remus noticed his lips moving so slightly. He was whispering to her. The tiniest smile appear at the corner of her pink mouth.

It didn't help that it was the full moon was three days away. He had to physically force himself not to listen to what Sirius was saying.

Then he caved and his mind thought, _It's only one teeny, tiny little eavesdrop. It's not as if I'm doing any real damage._

His eyes opened wider and waited for Sirius to speak again. When he did, Sirius was telling her how soft her skin was and smooth and creamy.

Remus had no idea what Sirius's thing with skin was, but he always mentioned. When he talked about girls, the first thing he'd say was, "She's got lovely skin." Like it was a bloody piece of jewelry.

Not that Hermione didn't have gorgeous skin of course. Milky, soft, beautiful skin that he could imagine taking into his mouth and nibbling and suckling until it turned rosy pink…

Okay, so Remus could see where Sirius was coming from.

Curse this full moon! Remus thought, shaking his head furiously and trying to wipe away the mental image of Hermione's flesh lovingly between his teeth.

"You alright, mate?" Sirius asked, seeing Remus's mini freak-out.

"Full moon's soon," he murmured gravelly. "I'm gonna head up to bed." And he stood from the seat, striding out urgently.

"I'm going to make sure he's alright," Hermione said, sounding concerned. She started to get up, but Sirius caught her hand.

"He's fine," he assured her. "You know how he gets when it's this close to the moon."

"I know," Hermione said, biting her lip. "But I just want to check on him." She let go of his hand and jogged out after Remus.

Remus was still striding down the corridor when Hermione found him, running faster, calling out, "Remus!"

The werewolf froze in his path and was hit by the delicious scent of parchment, dusty books, and chocolate. He had no clue why, but Hermione always had the faintest hints of chocolate on her. And it drove him mad.

"Are you alright, Moony?" she asked quietly, catching up and gently touching his sleeve. "Would you like anything for your room? Tea, maybe?"

Remus swallowed and shook his head. "I just need to get to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Hermione!" he snapped. "I'm sure! Quit babying me!"

Eyes open wide, Hermione took a step back in surprise. "I'm…I'm sorry, Remus, I didn't realize….I'll just go now, since you wouldn't like company." She started back toward the Great Hall.

"I _know_, Hermione. About you and Sirius."

The words had just escaped, he'd had no control over them.

Hermione stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back to face him. "How?" he inquired, not angrily or chagrinned. Just curious.

"You all seem to forget how keen my hearing is when it's so close to the full moon," he said sourly.

Now Hermione did blush. "It's not a big deal, really. We're not even really together, he just, you know, he's persistent and -"

"I saw you kiss in front of the library," he added, angry that she was still trying to lie.

She sighed. "You don't know exactly what happened."

"I think I do," Remus growled. "He kissed you. You kissed back. Seems like a simple enough equation for even me to figure out, Hermione. Don't try to treat me like a fool."

"I'd never, Remus, treat you -"

"Just shut it," he hissed. "I don't want to hear any of it. I'm going to bed. And don't tell Sirius I know about your snogging or sweet nothings." He gave her a feral look before adding, "I thought you were smarter than this. I was wrong." And he marched away.

…~oOo~…

A/N. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE!

Challenge: 1. Favorite line and part of this chapter? 2. Any predictions? 3. Team Sirius or Team Remus? 4. The full moon is coming…what do you anticipate?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	8. Sun, Moon, and Truth

A/N. Alright here's the next chapter! The name of this chapter is inspired by a quote in Buddhism. Look it up.

Okay, so I love you guys and your reviews haha! I love how a lot of you loved Remus's little inner rant about Hermione smelling like chocolate.

A lot of you have asked if this could become a trio story and I have to say my answer is no *sad face*. I'm sorry, but in my mind that is just something that Hermione would never do. She just wouldn't agree to something like that.

Also, you all are starting to get suspicious of who Hermione will end up with because of my ending in Prisoner (hehe, I've made you all paranoid) but I promise that that is the last time I'll pull such a switch like that. HERMIONE WILL END UP WITH EITHER SIRIUS OR REMUS. The end. Not Regulus or James or Snape. *crosses heart*

Enjoy!

…~oOo~…

Chapter Eight: Sun, Moon, and Truth

The day of the full moon was normal as it usually was. The only difference was that Remus was not in class - but it was like that monthly. Hermione took care to outline the notes she was taking for him very carefully so that he did not miss a thing.

Hermione learned long before coming to this timeline to not pity Remus. He would be insulted if you did, so she didn't. He deserved so much more, yes, but he would not tolerate pity.

Though, oftentimes, Hermione missed Remus when he was gone from class. Getting through the day was no as fun without him as her partner in Arithmancy or in Defense. And having him around during school made it easier for her to remember her old life. Professor Lupin had been her favorite teacher and became a mentor when she entered the Order - he always brought a certain comfort to her and made her feel safe. In the era she was currently in, it was no different. She trusted Remus in a way she didn't trust anyone else in Hogwarts and it had much to do with the fact she knew the man he would become.

So as she took down the Arithmancy notes, she took special care with every number and symbol because at the very least he deserved proper notes. That way he would not suffer next class when they took a quiz.

The next class was Potions. Hermione looked across the room at Remus's empty seat and sighed.

Hermione's good friend, the round-faced Alice, said, "What's wrong, 'Mione?"

"Nothing," she said simply. "Just worried about Remus. He's sick again."

Alice frowned. "Poor boy. He's always getting sick. You'd think a strong bloke like him would be able to fight of illness better."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Strong? What do you mean?"

"Well, you know!" Alice said with a grin. "He's got such strong arms and shoulders. You have to have noticed."

"Not particularly," Hermione murmured.

"They're not ridiculous, of course," Alice continued with a wistful expression. "They're not too huge or wiry. They're lean and perfect. He is quite gorgeous, wouldn't you agree?"

Snickering, Hermione answered, "Alice! I thought you fancied Frank!"

"I don't see him gathering up the courage to do anything about it anytime soon," Alice said with a scowl. "And until then, there's nothing saying I can't look at other boys. Especially ones as handsome as Remus. He has very…classical good-looks to him. Very different than Sirius and his rugged sexiness." Then a blush crawled up to Alice's cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry, it must be weird for me to talk about your brother like that."

Hermione let out a half-choked chuckle. "He's not actually my brother, you know," she said, copying Sirius's new favorite phrase. "I'm adopted."

It was a sentence he used more than any other in the English language as of late: "She's not really my sister, you know. We aren't related. She's adopted."

"But still," Alice said with a shrug. "You're still brother and sister. It's all the same. Blood doesn't mean much when you're as close as you are. Everyone sees how much he dotes on you and leans against you. It's all very endearing."

Hermione flushed. Only she knew that all those things were not just Sirius being brotherly - they were him being territorial and romantic. At first Hermione had tried pushing him away - especially after their kiss - but she learned that there was no point. There was no getting him to back off.

While Hermione appreciated Sirius's attentions in the same way she enjoyed Viktor Krum's, she was already starting to forget her past - or rather, her future? - without getting distracted.

But he was so affectionate in private that it made her knees weak. He definitely had a power over girls - just something about him was very difficult to resist.

Even now as Sirius casually got up out of his seat to "borrow a quill" as he told Slughorn, he walked over and got very close behind Hermione, seeming to casually whisper - so as not to "disrupt the class" - the words "meet me in the Honeyduke's tunnel after class" and took a quill from her bag, placing a chaste kiss on her head.

Hermione looked down at her paper and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and forced the blood away from her face.

"He's such a good brother," Alice said with a smile, obviously not hearing what he told Hermione. "So polite. Not at all like my older brother." The girl scowled. "He doesn't speak much at all and he never wants to talk to me. But Sirius always wants to talk to you."

Hermione tried to not grimace. _Yes, he always wanted to talk to me_, she thought, _but he always wanted other things too_.

…~oOo~…

"Alright, Sirius," Hermione said as she walked down into the secret tunnel hidden by the humpback witch statue. "This better be very important."

The tall boy was leaning against the wall in the musty, dirt tunnel. His smile, though, nearly lit up the whole place. It was the sort of smile that brought girls to their knees and made it very clear he had a million tricks up his sleeve.

Hermione could understand what Alice meant by saying Sirius was ruggedly sexy. His uniform was not tucked in and his tie was loose, his sleeves rolled up, and he was lacking a melt. His hair was hitting his shoulders and fell in thick black waves.

_Rugged and sexy, indeed_, Hermione thought grimly.

"It is actually," Sirius said slowly, still grinning, "very important. The most important meeting you will ever have in your life, actually." He stood upright from the wall and strolled over to her.

"Oh, dear Merlin," Hermione sighed, looking up above her head and round her feet. "Is there some kind of trip wire? Or bucket of slugs? I don't have time your silly pranks, Sirius."

"I didn't ask you here to prank you, love," he said with a bark of a laugh. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, make it quick," she said shortly, crossing her arms. "I have to bring Remus his notes."

"Remus can wait," Sirius whispered silkily, taking one of her hands in his and running his thumb over the top of hers.

"Actually," Hermione corrected him, taking her hand away, "he _can't _wait. He's going to be very busy tonight, in case you've forgotten and you and James seem to always do." It was becoming obvious that this meeting was purely so Sirius could try and trick her into snogging him again. She had better things to do. She hiked her saddle bag higher onto her shoulder and turned to leave.

Sirius cleared his throat very loudly.

Hermione turned to see what he wanted and found him on one knee with a little velvet box in his hand. Her heart stopped for almost a full half-minute.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, YOU GET OFF THAT FLOOR THIS INSTANT," Hermione screeched. It had been a purely instinctive, panicking reaction.

Sirius readily stood up, seeming as cool and collected as always. "Hermione, would you do the honor of becoming my -"

"NO," she shouted over his proposal. "MOST DEFINITELY NOT. ARE YOU INSANE? HAVE YOU HIT YOUR HEAD? DO I NEED TO TAKE YOU TO THE INFIRMARY? BECAUSE EVEN FOR YOU, SIRIUS, THIS IS BLOODY BARMY."

"Okay, I'm going to need you to take a deep breath, darling -"

"DON'T YOU 'DARLING' ME! JUST…JUST…UGH! I'M LEAVING NOW BEFORE YOU START ASKING ME TO CARRY YOUR CHILDREN."

"Jeez, 'Mione, we're _barely sixteen_. I wouldn't ask you to carry my children for at least another three years."

"THAT DOESN'T HELP, SIRIUS!

Hermione was fuming. She felt her face hot to the hairline and down her neck. She could barely breathe. The tunnel walls were feeling closer. This was a disaster. Sirius must have gone crazy.

Shakily, Hermione squeaked, trying not to scream anymore, "I'm leaving now."

"Hermione, let me explain!" he called out to her. "Our father…he's making me do this!"

Hermione stopped walking away. "Our father…? Orion Black is making you propose to me?" Hermione raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Isn't that more of a Walburga thing to do?"

Sirius snorted and scratched the back of his head. "Normally, yes, but…you know, I always felt it was strange that my parents accepted you so quickly. It didn't make any sense. In the beginning, the prospect of us marrying was just something my mother said about every pureblood girl we came across. But…I think it was their plan all along. Secure me a pureblood bride to avoid any blood tainting. So, yes, our father told me to get this ring on your finger by Christmas. And that's what I intend to do."

Sirius stood up straighter, holding his chin high. It was the stance of a determined man and not just a stubborn boy. "Hermione Walburga Black, will you marry me?"

"No."

His shoulders slumped and he looked annoyed. Gone was the proud man and returned was the petulant child. "Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"Can I at least have a reason?" he demanded.

"Sirius," she said, "this isn't like you. If our father told you to propose to me, the normal you would tell him to sod off and revel in their anger. You wouldn't do this. Which makes me think either you're someone else under the influence of Polyjuice or…well…or you've really just gone off your rocker."

Sirius sighed. "I wouldn't give a fuck if it was just my inheritance or place in the family on the line," he explained, "but those are things my mother threatens. But when my father wants something done, I've learned that it's better not to ask questions and do as he says because _he_ will make it happen if you don't. And you will be punished if he has to lift a finger."

"You make our dad sound like a mafia boss," Hermione said.

"Mafia bosses are kittens compared to Orion Black," Sirius said solemnly. "So if you aren't wearing this ring at Christmas…well, I'm fucked."

Hermione started pacing. She didn't want Sirius to be punished and she didn't want to marry him. It was a difficult dilemma.

There was no way she was going to marry him, though. No way in the world. It just wasn't happening.

Finally, an idea popped into her head and it was so obvious she wondered why she hadn't thought of it sooner. "Sirius," she said with the epiphany. "Give me the ring."

"Does this mean to accept?" he asked excitedly.

"No, you prat."

His smile deflated like a balloon.

Hermione took the box out of his hand and slipped on the ring. "We are going to pretend to be engaged. But little will our parents know, there will never be a wedding."

_Because, little did _anyone _know, Sirius Black would be disowned and struck off the family tree this upcoming summer. _

Sirius seemed to think that this wouldn't work, but that was because he had no clue what would be happening only months from then - his disownment - but Hermione just smilled reassuringly and walked out of the tunnel.

Maybe being from the future had its perks after all.

…~oOo~…

They were all in the Shrieking Shack. The moon wasn't full risen yet, but they all waited in anticipating Silence. Remus's eyes were bright and aware and he was extremely antsy as he paced in a far corner. It was dusty and dirty as always in the Shack and James was sitting on a sofa with a rip in it from Remus's last transformation.

They still had an hour before Remus went furry. But they still remained quiet. Hermione was leaning against a wall with Sirius close by.

Remus saw how deep in thought Hermione was and wanted to comfort her…and nuzzle her…and nibble her and run with her and cuddle with her. His mind was processing every need and want at one, each urge becoming overwhelming as more flooded in. His head was getting fuzzy from the wolf in him trying to push its way through.

Then he saw the shiny thing on her finger. It was an ornate silver band with black stones surrounding an iridescent diamond that changed colors when it moved.

"What's that?" Remus asked, his voice hoard. His eyes were locked onto Hermione's hands and he couldn't pull away.

Everyone followed his gaze.

"Whoa, mate," James said, his eyes huge behind his spectacles.

"It's not what any of you think…" Hermione began.

Remus was across the room in a flash. Hermione even jumped when he abruptly stopped right in front of her. Without his usual decorum, Remus snatched up her hand a little too tightly and examined her finger up close to his face. He glared at the ring and then Sirius.

"Are you fucking joking?" Remus demanded icily.

Hermione opened her mouth to intercede, but Sirius held up a hand to cut her off. Sirius felt the sudden change in Remus's mood and didn't like it.

"What if I'm not, mate?" Sirius asked lowly, his voice nearly a growl. His shoulders were rigid.

They animosity was tangible in the thickening air.

"Then I'd say you're a fucking git," Remus hissed, stepping away from Hermione and towards her brother…fiancée…whatever.

"Why?" Sirius demanded. "Why am I a git for asking a lovely young lady to become my wife?"

A low, audible rumble vibrated in Remus's chest. He didn't like hearing that word from Sirius in reference to Hermione… "wife". "Because she's too good for you," Remus intoned.

Sirius and Remus were now in one another's faces, their noses a few inches away. They were the same height about, Sirius maybe a fraction of an inch taller, and they both looked supremely pissed.

James and Hermione exchanged glances from across the room. This was hard. They had to intercede, but didn't know how. With it being barely an hour from his Change, Remus could easily overpower both of them and Sirius.

Which begged the question why Sirius was egging Remus on in the first place when there was no possible chance at victory for him.

"Then who would be say _is_ good enough for Whiskers, mate?" Sirius challenged tauntingly. "Yourself, maybe?"

"Sirius, back down," James advised from across the room.

Remus's chest was rising and falling rapidly. He didn't say anything, though.

"You know," Sirius spoke with melodic taunting, "I see everything. The way you look at her when no one else is, how you turn towards her, closer and closer, during dinner."

"Sirius, _stop it_," Hermione snapped.

"It's too bad, Moony," Sirius whispered silkily, cool and furious. "If you'd only been man enough to step forward and say something before I did. But maybe…maybe you're more animal than man anyway."

And the rubber band snapped.

Remus slammed Sirius into the wall in a blur and they began grabbing and throwing one another and they fell in a tumble to the floor, a mass of snarling and swearing. From what was visible…Remus was winning.

"Stop it, the both of you!" Hermione shouted, but they paid no attention.

James was on his feet and standing in front of Hermione, trying to block either of them from hurting her when they were shoving one another around in such a small space. They already knocked over a chair and a lamp.

Then Sirius was being thrown downward into the old coffee table, breaking it in half. He wasn't done yet, though, because he dragged Remus down with him and rolled him under to nail a few blows to the face. Remus very quickly kicked Sirius hard in the stomach, sending him backwards.

"Why they can't fight with wands, I do not know," James growled and in a half-second he was a large stag.

Prongs took up almost the entire room with his massive body. He reared up at the brawling boys and they immediately stopped and backed the hell away from the bucking stag. Those antlers weren't children toys, after all.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" Hermione shrieked once the row was neutralized by the huge deer. "Fighting like children…And Sirius, I'm most ashamed of _you_."

"_What_?" Sirius roared, his split lip opening more. "Why me?"

"You provoked him!" Hermione shouted. "You deliberately angered him, knowing what he'd do! Over absolutely nothing!"

Remus growled, "I'd hardly call it nothing -"

"_We're not actually engaged_!" Hermione screamed. "_If Sirius was any less of a dunderhead, I could have explained that_!"

Everyone sort of stopped moving in that moment. James reverted back to his human form and scratched his head. "I must admit, I'm quite boggled," he proclaimed.

"Sirius and I are pretending to be engaged so that our father doesn't kill him," Hermione let all out on one breath.

"So…you're not getting married?" Remus clarified, seeming perplexed.

"No, of course not," Hermione said with a big breath. "I thought that should be obvious."

Remus launched himself back at Sirius, but this time James intercepted smoothly, physically holding him back.

"You're a right arsehole, Black!" Remus snarled, trying to fight through James's tight hold.

Hermione slid in to hold Sirius back, which was an easier job than the supernatural strength that James was currently struggling to hold back with Remus.

"Right back at you, Lupin!" Sirius barked back.

"You shut up," Hermione hissed venomously.

"You stay the hell away from me from now on, '_mate'_!" Remus screamed as James took him into the next room.

"Not a problem, _old pal_!" Sirius shot back. The door behind Remus and James shut.

And then Hermione whipped the back of her hand across her brother's face. The blood gushed faster from his lips and coated his teeth. "This," she said thickly, her words shaking, "is _your fault_." Tears of anger were welling in her eyes and her throat getting tight.

"Hermione -"

"_You shut your damn mouth_," she commanded sharply, the wrathful tears streaming now. Her words cut with the precision of a blade. "You may be my brother, and I have always loved you as one…but right now…I _hate _you."

…~oOo~…

A/N. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. How do you think the full moon will go with these turn of events? 2. How do you think Hermione is going to treat Sirius now? 3. How did you like the fight, hehe? 4. Favorite line and favorite part? 5. (Again) Team Remus or Team Sirius?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	9. A Change

A/N. Look at me go! Two different stories updated in one day! Damn, I'm on a roll!

You all should go read Teddy Lupin:WWW if you haven't *winky face*

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter

…~oOo~…

Chapter Nine: A Change

Sirius could only watch as his sister marched out the same door James and Remus went through.

Hermione was furious, though. She could barely contain her rage. When she entered and locked the door behind her - hoping Sirius had the sense to go back to the castle - she found Remus destroying the room. It was only about twenty minutes until his Change now and his temper was in full force. The little bedroom was taking a beating, picture frames being broken in half, tables knocked over, and wardrobe kicked in. And James just watched, seeming resigned.

Hermione stood next to Prongs and said, "Should we let him get it out of his system?"

"The way I see it," James said, "is that if he doesn't let it out now…that mattress could be us."

The mattress was basically a pile of torn apart pieces with stuffing bleeding out.

Hermione couldn't let Remus continue, though. He was doing more damaged to himself than the furniture. His hands were bleeding from breaking a glass frame and he was bruised from all the ramming himself into wooden objects.

Slowly, but not afraid, Hermione approached where Remus was driving a hole through a wall with his fists. "Remus, love…" Hermione said quietly. "Remus, please stop hurting yourself…"

Hermione could practically see Remus's ears perk up at the sound of her voice. His head whipped to her and he stopped. Still gradual in pace, Hermione got closer and gingerly took his hand. She examined it and found it swollen and bruising.

"Remus, I think you've broken it," she said sadly. "Madame Pomfrey will have to look at it in the morning, okay?"

Remus wasn't paying attention to his hand, though - he barely felt it. He was looked at Hermione's face.

"I'm sorry…" he croaked softly.

"You have nothing to apologize about," Hermione told him firmly. "It was all Sirius's fault."

"But, Whiskers, I -"

"_Shh_," she murmured, hearing him get worked up. "Stop that. You always blame yourself for things that are out of your hands. Come here." She opened her arm for him and he accepted it, practically falling into her embrace, burying his face into her neck and hair while he breathed heavily. She stroked his hair and whispered comforting things to him.

_Merlin, she smells amazing_… Remus thought as his eyes drifted shut. He was always high strung previous to the full moon, but being cocooned in her chocolaty warmth made every muscle soften and his breathing even out.

And then he felt the tingle. The tingle that made every muscle wind up tight once more and his head go fuzzy. He jerked away from her and clutched onto a crooked bedpost. The pain hit and he started to whimper and pant.

Hermione hated seeing this part. Usually she and the other boys would wait in the next room - mostly for Remus's comfort. But there was no time to leave now.

Remus staggered backwards into a wall as his skin ripped open with a long, sickeningly wet noise. Remus screamed and thrashed, his nails gouging at his own flesh as they extended into claws. There were four loud cracks and Hermione knew they had to be his arms and legs reconfiguring. His shouts were of a man on fire. The fur began to push outward from his skin as his body continued to reshape. His screams of agony morphed into inhuman howls.

James and Hermione took this as their cues to transform as well.

Some might think Hermione was crazy for attending these full moons even when her Animagus was nothing but an ordinary cat, but Moony had come to rather like Whiskers. It took a few months at the beginning, but he treated her the same he did Prongs and Padfoot.

Moony lie in a heap on the floor, full Changed, and exhausted. Werewolves were like giant wolves, but with different tails and a longer snout. Also, the eyes remained human. So even as Moony, Hermione could see her good friend right there in his eyes, always. It was a nice reminder, even when Moony went mad and tried killing other animals.

Whiskers cantered over to the werewolf and purred at him, nuzzling his shoulder as if asking, "Are you alright?"

Getting over his exhaustion quickly, Moony got on his feet, towering over the cat, and bent down to give her a long, affectionate lick. Hermione knew of course that this wasn't Remus, but his wolf counterpart Moony, but couldn't help but feel the small embarrassment of receiving a kiss from Remus.

Moony let out a long, Shack-shaking howl. The panic of being closed in was taking him. He began clawing at the walls and howling and snarling and throwing himself into things.

Prongs, large and majestic, barreled towards him to shift his attention. The two began to fight-play while Whiskers sat, curled up, on top of the broken wardrobe and played referee. Her tail swung over the side like a pendulum. Her eyes drifted shut.

Then there was a long, high-pitched whine and her eyes shot open.

Moony, for some odd reason, was pacing in a small circle. Even Prongs looked confused at this turn of events. Moony was panting and pawing at his own head, shaking his snout and snorting over and over. His nose dropped to the ground and he began following a trail, dipped forward and sniffing a scent. He wound his way to the wardrobe and began pawing at it. He swatted the swinging tail and Whiskers quickly curled it up under her. She gave him a narrow cat-look that said, "Don't touch my tail."

Moony was gazing up at her, though, and scratching at the wood to reach her to no prevail. He howled again and the extremely loud sound made the wardrobe tremble.

Hermione had no idea what he wanted. Until she found out, she wasn't leaving her perch high up on the wall, though.

With a little more of a stretch, Moony reached her. When he opened his mouth, Hermione braced herself for a bite, but instead his gently took her by the nap gingerly between his teeth. He took her down and she hung there, unable to do anything, but curling her paws and tail on close to her and he carried her. Once back on the ground, he swung her onto his back and began running around the room aimlessly.

Freaked out at suddenly riding Moony, Whiskers held onto his back tight and closed her eyes. As if forgetting she was on his back, he went about doing his normal full-moon things. Running, tearing up stuff, howling and tussling with Prongs.

And all night long, he would not let her leave her place on his back.

…~oOo~…

Most of the time, James, Sirius, and Hermione all made it back to their rooms for a few hours before morning when they'd return to the Shrieking Shack to tend to Remus. That night, though, Hermione had at one point fallen asleep on Moony's back and didn't wake up.

James took it upon himself to leave, though.

Leaving Remus and Hermione alone to wake up the next morning in the Shack alone. James thought this would be amusing.

Remus did not find it amusing, though, to wake up on the dusty, grimy floor of the Shrieking Shack with a mound of furry kitty on his naked chest. Completely in the nude, he realized that there was no winning in this situation. The moment he moved, Whiskers would wake up and see him starkers. Even if he somehow managed to pick her up and relocate her before she woke, his only trousers were in shreds from the night before.

The only option was lying there away with Whiskers asleep on him until James or Sirius came back or wake her up and get over the fact she'd see him nude.

What awful choices, he thought.

He decided to prolong the inevitable and lie there for a little while. He considered the night before - or at least the parts he remembered of it - while absently stroking the sleek, short-haired, multi-colored cat on top of him. She purred in her sleep.

The entire episode with Sirius had gotten out of hand, he thought with a scowl. He'd completely lost it. Moony was in control at that point and he attacked his best friend.

Then again, Sirius _had _been acting like an ass, Remus tried to justify. He still felt wretched about it though. And what Hermione must think of him! Even if she had assured him that he wasn't at fault, he didn't believe her. Anyone would be angry if their friend attacked their brother - it was human nature.

Or, he thought with a smirk, cat nature.

He was still stroking Whiskers when suddenly the weight on his chest began to increase. Oh, no, he internally panicked. This can't be good. A few seconds later, the cat on his chest was a still-sleeping human Hermione, fully-clothed thank God, stretched out on him.

Remus had thought of Hermione being atop him many times - none of them, however, happened like this.

He could feel every soft curve of her body, even through her clothes, and all he could do was panic some more. If he didn't find a way to get her off of him without waking her soon there would be a significantly bigger problem.

Any normal boy was aroused in the morning without the body of a girl they'd been pining over for a year sleeping on top of him.

Especially when she shifted her knee right between his -

Remus hissed in a sharp breath and it was enough of a sound for Hermione to start to wiggle and shift some more…which wasn't helping his current situation down south. He started thinking very hard about Snape in woman's underwear and McGonagall naked. Anything not sexy…dead puppies…slugs and snails…Sirius being a prat…

WHY WAS NOTHING WORKING?

Hermione was rousing and blinking sleepily, seeming confused. "Remus…?" she muttered slowly. "What…why am I…?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"But…did I fall asleep on you?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and picking herself up slowly.

"I guess you did," he said, his mental state in shambles. He could only form short sentences at the moment.

Merlin she was gorgeous when she was just waking up. Her lips were parted and wet, her eyelids heavy and her gaze soft. Her cheeks had a morning rosy color to them and her hair was especially wild. Many times he'd heard her call it a tumbleweed stuck to her head in the mornings, but he liked it.

Then Hermione seemed to take in her surroundings and realize exactly where she was.

"Oh, g-goodness," she stuttered, pulling herself away. Instinctively she looked over him and her hands flew to her eyes, which meant she could no longer hold herself up and she fell crashing back down onto him. He let out an _oomph_ as she knocked the air out of him. Frantically, she picked herself up off of him while keeping her eyes squeezed shut. "Oh, G-god, I'm s-so sorry, I'm sorry, Remus, I mean, I didn't mean to, oh dear, I'm so -"

"Hermione!" he said sharply and her eyes snapped open, meeting his. "Stop apologizing," he said. "It's not your fault."

They seemed to be telling one another that a lot lately.

Then Remus chuckled at the hilarity of the situation. Hermione tried to hold it back, but she followed suit and the both of them were laughing uncontrollably together. It was so ridiculous that the tension floated away and they just laughed.

Then the door opened an in came two dark-haired boys.

"Jesus Christ, you two!" James exclaimed, shielding his eyes with the pair of trousers he brought.

\

Sirius just stared, completely expressionless. His dark eyes were flat slats of stormy grey. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he stared intently.

"Oh, please," Hermione said, still chuckling. "It isn't what it looks like."

"Of course it isn't," Sirius said dryly. "It never is with you, is it?" He cleared his throat and turned to James. "This was a bad idea, mate. I'm just gonna head to breakfast." He turned to walk out.

Hermione picked herself up off the floor and sprinted after him. She caught him before he could exit through the tunnel and snatched him by his shirt, yanking him back. "You're not going anywhere, Sirius Black, until you apologize to Remus," she hissed, all her anger from the night before flooding back.

"Why should I?" he growled. "We each did damage. I'm not the only one in the wrong."

"Yes," she said darkly, "you are. You provoked him. You lied to him. You're the reason he went feral."

"He was still a human at that point, mind you," Sirius defended. "He wasn't an animal quite yet."

"_It was less than an hour before his Change, you idiot_!"

"Why are you always babying him?"

"I'm not babying him! I'm making sure that idiots like you don't make a hard life harder on him!"

"He's practically a man, now, Hermione," he said sharply. "He's already turned sixteen. He can take care of himself. If you need someone to mother, make it James, but not Remus or me. Because let's face it, love. Neither of us see you as a mother…or even a friend."

"Oh, so I'm just some girl that cleans your rooms and does your homework?"

"Please," he groaned. "Stop playing dumb! You know how he feels about you and you know how I feel about you! So if neither of us have a chance, then at least don't string us along!"

"_How am I stringing you along_?" Hermione demanded, her voice raising in pitch. "You're my _friends_! Maybe I should just stop being friends with all of you so that way none of you 'misinterpret' my purely friendly actions and not 'string you along'!"

"Perhaps you should!" he screamed back.

"Perhaps I will!" She marched out towards the tunnel and called back, "You can tell Remus and James yourself why I won't be around anymore! But knowing you're nothing but a coward, you can't even admit you've done wrong, you'll just lie!"

"DON'T CALL ME COWARD!"

"THEN STOP BEING ONE!"

…~oOo~…

Christmas holiday came quickly. The first Quidditch game of the season came and went and from his broom, Sirius could see that Hermione's usual spot on the bleachers where she normal cheered him and James on was empty. Not even Remus was there. It had been a windy, rainy, morose affair.

Now they were in their cabin on the train. The only reason Hermione was sitting with them was because everywhere else was filled up. Remus was there for the same reason.

Poor James had been torn through this entire conflict. He tried to spread out his time with each friend but it wasn't as if they made it easy. They were always avoiding one another, and by default, unintentionally avoiding him. He hadn't done a thing wrong - he was just a bystander and refused to take sides.

On the bright side, Snape had gotten a few easy weeks. Sirius was too out-of-sorts to hex him as of late. Padfoot was taking Hermione's distance hard. He barely slept and when he did see her, his gravity unconsciously shifted so that he tried to get closer, but then remembered the situation and held himself back.

Seeing Sirius without Hermione-cuddle-time was downright pathetic.

Remus and Hermione still spent time together, though. When they did it wasn't for a long amount of time and it was usually quiet. Hermione was detaching herself from the boys in every way possible. It broke her heart to do it, but she was beginning to think that Dumbledore's portrait had been wrong about her making her way into the Marauders' group. She should have just ignored that part of the instructions and went Horcrux hunting from the get-go. Now she had wasted years of time and needed to basically start over by taking herself out of the Marauders and finishing her job.

The silence of the cabin was broken, as always, by Sirius. "Aren't you going to give me that back?" He nodded pointedly to her left hand.

"Of course not," she said with a cool casualness. "It's not as if we're actually engaged. It's just a ploy to save your hide."

Sirius rose an eyebrow. "So you're still pretending to be my fiancée?"

"I don't see why not," she said simply. "It isn't as if anything has changed where that is concerned."

Hermione couldn't break off the fake engagement anyway. It was part of her plan. Walburga would most certainly hold an engagement party and attending would be the newly-engaged Narcissa with her fiancée Lucius and his parents, leaving Malfoy Manor empty.

If her calculations were correct, at this time, Tom Riddle's diary was being housed at the Manor.

And Hermione had already collect the ring and the diadem.

The Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem was found in the Room of Requirement last year. It'd been the easiest to find and the ring was found when she enlisted Dumbledore's help and finally explained the nature of the reason behind her time travel. He had been the one to fetch it from the Gaunt Shack.

But seeing as the Sword of Gryffindor had not been used to defeat the Basilisk slithering beneath the school in this timeline, it was not impregnated with Basilisk venom, thus making it useless with the Horcruxes.

So the Diadem and ring were currently being held in the jewelry box she brought with her from the future. She was keeping them together and in a safe place until she could destroy them all at once, using the only other method she was sure would kill them all: FiendFyre.

She was already taking private lessons with Dumbledore in how to use and control FiendFyre so that she could kill the Horcruxes when the time was right.

After retrieving the journal, Hermione only had to find a way into the Lestrange vault - again - for the Hufflepuff Cup and then somehow get Slytherin's locket.

She definitely had her work cut out for her. She was just grateful that Nagini was yet to exist. But at the same time, the pressure to have all of them destroyed before Harry could become one was crushing.

…~oOo~…

A/N. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. Favorite line and part of this chapter? 2. How do you think Hermione is going to get the Horcruxes? 3. Were you surprised to find out that she already collected a few Horcruxes? 4. Do you think Sirius should get some Hermione-cuddle-time next chapter or does he still need time to think about what he's done?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	10. A Brotherly Kiss

...~oOo~...

Chapter 13: A Brotherly Kiss

Coming home to Number 12 was always a cold affair. Walburga would drop her customary kisses on the crowns of Sirius and Hermione's heads before grabbing Regulus and yanking him up into a hug. The favoritism was apparent. Not that Sirius and Hermione minded - if their mother loved them the way he loved Regulus they would probably step off the roof. No love was lost between them.

If one had to make an educated guess at who Orion's favorite child was, one would say Hermione. It was no because of any affection shown towards her - because there really was none - but more because of the contempt he _didn't _show. He didn't dote on Regulus like Walburga did and he didn't exactly show any good feelings for Sirius. He gave both sons equal glaring time. Hermione never once received a scowl from her adopted father. He passed her the salt at dinner without a snide comment and he never had anything to say to her when they received scores on exams.

So when the Black children walked up their stairs to drop off their trunks - Sirius and Hermione still weren't speaking - Orion called up the steps, "Boys, I'd like to see you both in my study in ten minutes."

Hermione genuinely pitied the both of them. When Orion called you into his study, he meant business.

She walked down to the kitchen to get something to eat after such a long train ride and Walburga walked in with a sly smile on her face.

"The ring looks lovely on you, my dear," the woman purred, striding over and lifting her daughter's left wrist. "I'm so glad you've accepted Sirius's proposal. Now you'll truly be a Black."

Hiding her scowl, Hermione felt the insult sink deep. She knew that Walburga never really considered Hermione a "real" Black even if documents called her so. And it wasn't as if Hermione, who was actually a muggle-born wanted to belong to a pureblood supremacist household anyway - but still, the implication that she hadn't been part of the family for the past three years stung.

"We'll be having an engagement party, of course," Walburga said breezily as if she had daughters getting engaged every day. "Christmas Eve should be perfect."

"But..." Hermione caught herself and knew better than to finish her sentence.

"Oh, yes," Walburga said as if she had just remembered - what bollocks. "You and Sirius normally spend the day at the Potters' on Christmas Eve, correct?"

Hermione slowly nodded.

"What a pity you'll be unable to make it," Walburga said, not sounding sorry at all. "And of course we cannot invite them."

"Why's that?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer.

The woman let out a cold laugh. "Because," Walburga annunciated, nose curled in disgust, "they're _blood traitors_. And no respectable pureblood family such as the Blacks invite blood traitors to social affairs. You know that, darling."

...~oOo~...

Hermione's feet felt like they were bleeding. Dance lessons had been nonstop for the past four days and Hermione still didn't understand why they needed to continue. Sirius was a fabulous ballroom dancer. He was graceful and smooth and precise - and Hermione had learned to keep up and not step on his toes. Really, they'd improved as much as too gangly teenagers could.

Although, Hermione thought dryly as they waltzed, she had the suspicion Walburga held a sadistic enjoyment in forcing them to dance into exhaustion.

There was visible relief from the two betrothed when Kreacher stuck his head into the room announcing the arrival of Walburga's sister-in-law. Walburga stood up, said, "You two better continue practicing, you're positively sloppy" and left the room.

Sirius sighed and dropped his hands from holding Hermione. "Thank Merlin. Any more of that and I was gonna explode."

Tiredly, Hermione nodded and walked away. They were in the "parlor" as Walburga called it. There was a dance floor and when they had large parties, the room extended into a small ballroom. She sat in an arm chair and tucked her legs under her.

"Our father called me into his study again last night," Sirius said.

"Again?" Hermione asked.

Her brother nodded. "He was...concerned."

"About what?"

"About you."

Hermione's eyes were as big as planets. "_Me_? _Why_?"

"He worries you are entering a loveless engagement." Sirius's expression and tone betrayed no emotion.

"But... I am," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow.

"He doesn't want that," Sirius said. "Of course, he'd make us marry anyway, but he'd rather you be happy. He's peculiar that way."

"Orion Black does _not _care about my happiness," Hermione said, sure of it.

"But he does," Sirius said. "He always wanted a daughter. So I told him that we did care about one another romantically and that he had nothing to worry about. Don't give me that face, I just wanted our fake engagement to go as smoothly as possible. I don't think he believed me, anyway. So in order for him to believe me...you're going to have to let me cuddle you again."

"No."

"COME ON," Sirius huffed. "It's not a big deal - you used to let me do it all the time!"

"That was before you were the biggest prat in the entire world!"

"Just let me hold your hand sometimes," Sirius said desperately. "Not for my sake, but for our father's. We just need to fake this long enough to grow up and get the hell out."

"Too bad," Hermione shrugged, standing up. "You're not touching me. And if you try, I'll kick you."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "How frightening."

"Between the legs."

"Okay, that's just cruel."

Hermione shrugged again and said, "Just keep your distance and your manhood is safe. That's all there is to it." She walked out of the parlor and up the stairs, dance lessons forgotten as she was ready to sleep.

But first she had to write someone a letter.

...~oOo~...

_Dear Moony, _

_I am so happy your Christmas holiday is going well! I can' t say mine is, unfortunately. Due to our upcoming "engagement" party, Sirius and I have been forced into nonstop dancing lessons. It's dreadful, especially since our mother is our instructor. I have six blisters and my calves burn. Today we started right after breakfast, worked right through lunch, broke for dinner, and resumed until nine. I never want to waltz ever again. _

_But enough about me, I want to hear more about you! I cannot believe your parents are taking you camping in such frigid weather - and it's such a Muggle thing to do, I smile thinking about it! I admit, I'd rather be camping in the freezing mountains with you than be here. Regulus is as gloomy as ever, Walburga is a nightmare, Orion makes the temperature drop, and Sirius has become unbearable._

_I am still unbelievably, absolutely, and always will be sorry about the goings-on at your last full moon. Sirius was an idiot and I was stupid for falling asleep on you. An awful night coupled with an uncomfortable morning. _

_Also, I noticed that you groomed Hugo when he came back with your reply. Thank you so much! His feathers were beginning to look shabby and my mind has been consumed by many other things that poor Hugo suffered because of it. I've promised him extra treats for the rest of Christmas holiday as an apology. He is certainly pleased._

_Most importantly, Remus, I've enclosed an article I came across in the Prophet today that I think you will find...exciting. Potioneers have made a stunning leap forward in their experimenting with a Wolfsbane potion! The details are all in the article, it's all extremely interesting. It shows promise. In a few short years, it is very possible that you can go through a much easier Transformation! I've been praying that the potioneers succeed, for you. _

_As always, I wish you the best. You truly are my best friend. _

_Love always, _

_Whiskers_

_P.S. I am making plans to go to Diagon Alley on New Years Eve for the fireworks. Perhaps you'll be there?_

_..._

Remus smiled down at the parchment and read the article cut-out for the dozenth time that day. He'd sent Hermione a reply the night before, but still couldn't get over the information in the newspaper clipping. It made him eager for the future. It gave him hope.

In the corner of the room was his duffel bag of camping things, waiting for the next day when he and his parents were off to the forest after breakfast and presents. He was eager about the camping trip but found himself missing Hermione. Her letters always made him more and more anxious to see her again.

Remus's mind drifted off to what Hermione could be doing just then as he sat in his small bedroom on his rickety bed. It was Christmas Eve and she was probably getting ready for her party. Lying back, he smiled and considered what she'd look like that evening. She was probably wearing purple...she always looked best in purple. And he hair was probably up and she wouldn't wear make-up, except maybe some powder. But not enough to cover her freckles, he hoped with a small smile.

And then Remus frowned because though Hermione would, without a doubt, look stunningly gorgeous, she would be all dressed up for someone else...for Sirius.

Remus sighed and stood from his bed to walk to the kitchen and make himself forget.

...~oOo~...

Sirius hated the parties his mother threw. The people were all stiff and snobby and the music was always boring. The food often tasted like over-seasoned mud and Regulus had all of their distant female cousins hanging off of him. Sirius grimaced. It made him sick. Even if they were fourth cousins, they still shared blood for Merlin's sake!

Just because his parents were second cousins did not mean Regulus should follow in their incestuous footsteps.

And to make it all worse, Hermione was still ignoring him. She hadn't said a word to him all night.

_And to make it even worse, _it was as if they hadn't spent the last week taking dance lessons and she suddenly had two left feet. As they danced, her head was tipped down to watch their toes and her posture was awful and she kept stepping on his feet. Sirius's dragon leather shoes were getting scuffed from her terrible dancing.

Everyone was watching on with mildly horrified expressions. They whispered and giggled and ridiculed the guests of honor and their inability to waltz.

Sirius huffed, "Hermione, could you at least _try_ to remember all our lessons?"

She didn't say a thing, just scowled lightly and tried to follow his movements better, but to no prevail.

"So, I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Sirius said all in one breath. "For everything. I was wrong and you were right, as always. I behaved badly and I'll apologize to Remus first chance I get."

On purpose, Hermione kicked him in the shin.

"_What_?" Sirius said, confused. "Oh! Of course James as well. Yes, it was rude of me to act the way I did and force Prongs into being referee. It wasn't fair to him."

Hermione looked smugly satisfied and stepped on Sirius's foot by accident once again.

"Jeez, 'Mione," Sirius said on a painful hiss. His toes were going to be black and blue by the next day. "Are you nervous?"

Hermione said nothing.

"Ugh!" Sirius snapped. "You haven't said a word to me all night! And I've apologized, haven't I? Don't you have a lecture planned for me or something? Listen, I know things have been rocky between us lately, and it's probably because of our kissing."

Hermione looked absolutely horrified.

"Oh, so it is because of our little snogging session in the library!" Sirius said victoriously. "Why didn't you say so? I bet with this whole engagement you've been thinking about our relationship a lot, right?"

Still looking shocked, Hermione slowly nodded.

"I want you to know," Sirius said softly, leaning forward. "That I really do care about you. A lot. I'd even go as far to say...well, I may be in love with you." He rested his forehead against Hermione's and felt that she was shaking. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I do. And I want to marry you. For real. Will you have me?"

Hermione was still shaking and her mouth was pressed tightly closed, but her big eyes were scared.

Wanting to reassure her that everything he felt was real, he closed the last few inches to press his mouth to hers. He meant to to be a tender kiss and hoped she would loosen up, but she only tensed up even more. She was stiffer than a board and looking like she was about to pass out, her lips sealed tight.

People were watching on with confusion.

Breaking the kiss and seeing that Hermione's face turned the shade of paste and then a sick green, Sirius wanted to crawl into a hole and never resurface. Was he that bad of a kisser?

Abruptly and without warning, Hermione mechanically took Sirius by the sleeve and pulled him out of the room, through the next room, and all the way to the backyard.

There, once in the cool night air, Hermione started going, "Blech! Ugh! Shite!"

Only, Hermione's voice was unnaturally deep.

"Hermione?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"_It isn't Hermione, you twat_!" the not-Hermione shouted. "_It's James_!"

Sirius froze. "Wha...n-no! No, you're not! You're Hermione!"

Not-Hermione's fists went to her hips in a very masculine manner. Her legs were spread and her shoulders were slumped. "Oh, really?" he-she demanded. "Then how do I know you lost your virginity to Gertrude Finkle last year?"

"Holy shit!" Sirius said on a gag. "You_ are_ James!"

"No shit!"

"But...why do you look like Hermione?"

James hesitated. "If she found out I told you...that I blew my cover...she'd kill me." James indelicately scratched himself and picked at the pantyhose riding up his bum.

"Tell me or else I'll tell the whole school you keep pictures of Evans in our room and you kiss one before you go to bed."

"Tell everyone that and I'll tell the school you kissed me."

Sirius's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Touche."

James grinned victoriously. But his smile fell as the most evil of smirks adorned Sirius's face.

"If you don't tell me about why you look like Hermione...and if you tell anyone I kissed you...I'll tell the entire school about the Butterscotch Pudding Incident."

The expression on James's face could only be related to if he'd been faced with a Dementor. The tremor was back and he swallowed hard.

Then James spilled his guts. "Hermione asked me to Polyjuice into her for the evening so that she could recover a rare and dark and dangerous artifact from your future cousin's house!"

"Future cousin?" Sirius asked, bewildered.

"Lucius Malfoy," James readily said. "And she said that if I drank the Polyjuice and lent her my Invisibility Cloak it she'd write my final essay for Transfiguration for me!"

Sirius was godsmacked. "You let my sister go to a strange man's house to collect a Dark item alone just so she would do your homework?" he clarified slowly.

"Well when you say it that way," James grumbled, "you make me sound like an idiot."

"That may have something to do with that fact that you are."

...~oOo~...

The black leather journal was tucked into the back-most corner of the Malfoy library. Being a cat meant she could easily pass through the wards and that she could practically smell out Dark magic. And the smell of a Horcrux was potent - worse than Draught of Living Death.

She changed back to her human form and took the Invisibility Cloak off of her head to take the Journal and look inside. All the pages were blank. But it practically vibrated in her hands and gave her an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

This was definitely Tom Riddle's diary.

Hermione wrapped herself up in the Cloak again, tucking the journal in her bag, and changed to her cat form, walking breezily out of Malfoy Manor as an invisible feline.

She smiled to herself, but prayed that James was doing well at her engagement party.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Did you expect something wrong with Hermione at the party? 3. Do you think Hermione will have to tell the boys about her Horcrux hunt now?


	11. A Third Box

A/N. A few things before you read! Last chapter, at the top of it, it accidentally says "Chapter 13" but it's obviously really Chapter 10. Just thought I'd fix that.

ALSO. My computer...it LITERALLY exploded. No exaggeration. Like, out of nowhere, BOOM. No clue what the fuck happened but there was no fire and the sparks just burnt some blankets on my bed. It was freaking crazy.

SO NOW I HAVE THIS SUPER COOL APPLE MAC COMPUTER. No lie, it is the COOLEST THING EVER. My uncle just had one lying around that he was trying to give away (he works with computers and they didn't want it taking up space at the office anymore) and he didn't know anyone who would take it. So now it's MINE! YEY!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

As always, Enjoy!

Chapter 11: A Third Box

Hermione instructed the Knight Bus to stop about three blocks away from Grimauld. If the party was still going on, she certainly didn't want anyone to see the huge Bus rolling up and a second Hermione Black dismounting it.

Hermione was still pretty shell-shocked as she walked slowly towards her home. She had found out, leaving Malfoy Manor, that those peacocks strolling around the property weren't just for show. No. They were guard peacocks. It made sense once Hermione thought about it. Wards could keep out people, but if anyone were to slip past - like, say, an Animagus - a these ultra-senstive peacocks would go after them. Even if they were invisible. Hermione made a mental note to research if peacocks had a strong sense of smell or these Malfoy peacocks were magically altered.

The lights of Number 12 were all dimmed. Hermione glanced at her watch, saw it was midnight and figured everyone had gone home. She hadn't expected to be out for so long, but she figured she'd swing into Diagon Alley to get her brother, James, and Remus's Christmas gifts. She hoped to Merlin that James followed protocol - if she was going to be late, all he had to do was walk up to her room silently and wait for her return while leaving the window open.

Hermione changed into a cat and climbed up the side of the house covered in vines and slipped through her cracked-open window. She hopped down from the sill and changed back into herself. James was sitting upright on the bed, wearing her purple dress that hung on him terribly, the bust gaping around his skinny chest and the fabric wrinkling around his narrow hips.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, seeing the anxiety on his face. "Did you mess up? Were the guests suspicious?"

"No, the guests were fine," a voice said from the direction of her closet. "It's funny that you didn't expect your own brother to find out, though."

Leaning against the closet door frame was Sirius, his waistcoat unbuttoned and his black bow-tie undone and hanging around his neck. His hair was pushed back like he'd been running his hands through it a long - a nervous habit of his. His shoes and socks were off as well. He looked exhausted and annoyed.

Hermione sent James a glare. "Not only am I not writing that paper for you, I am going to kill you."

"I told you," James grumbled towards Sirius.

"Don't blame him," Sirius said, scowling. "This is your fault! What the bloody hell were you thinking? What are doing doing, stealing Dark artifacts? My Hermione would never do something like this, bribing her friends to masquerade as her and then break into someone's house! Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"Shush!" Hermione hissed. "Are you crazy? Regulus is only one room over!"

"Oh, don't worry about him," Sirius growled. "I Muffliato'd the room before you got here. Now stop changing the subject - what were you doing? What was at Lucius Malfoy's house that you needed so badly?" His arms were crossed and his expression read danger.

Hermione was shocked to see how much Sirius looked like his father in that moment. Whoever said Sirius Black looked most like his mother had obviously never seen him angry. Sirius and Orion could very well be twins.

"It's none of your business," Hermione said coldly.

"None of my business?" Sirius demanded incredulously. "Are you barmy? Of course it's my business! You brought James into this, which means you brought me into this! And, honestly, I thought you smarter, Hermione. Of all the people in this world you could have bribed into pretending to be you for an evening, you choose the infamously worst liar we know!"

"Oi!" James said.

"Just...what was this Dark artifact?" Sirius commanded, sounding more and more tired.

"I can't tell you," Hermione confessed on a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I truly can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because...you're too young right now."

"Too young? Hermione, we're the same age!"

Hermione was so exhausted. Not just because it was the middle of the night, exhausted with this entire charade. She wanted to smack herself in the forehead for almost making a slip about her age. She collected her bearings and cleared her throat.

"Be that as it may, you're a world less mature than I am," Hermione recovered coolly.

Sirius glared. "You have to tell me or else I'll assume the worst."

"And what is the worst, Sirius?"

"That you're a Death Eater."

Hermione gave a bark of a scoff. "Hah! Are you joking? My goodness, Sirius, your deductive skills are in true need of polishing! Explain to me, Sirius, why a Death Eater would steal a piece of Dark magic from another Death Eater?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Hermione said, folding the Invisibility Cloak and placing it on the bed beside James and opening her bedside drawer. Inside was Dumbledore's box and she slipped the diary into it. "You've always suspected Bellatrix of being one - wouldn't it stand to reason her husband would be a Death Eater as well?"

Sirius looked at Hermione for a long time, gauging whether she was lying or not. "So...why were you stealing for a Death Eater?"

"I already told you - I can't say. All I can tell you...or, rather, ask of you...is to trust me."

"How can you possibly ask that of me?" Sirius demanded, getting loud again. "You've been so hot and cold lately, I can't tell who you are when! It's driving me mad, Hermione!"

"I'm hot and cold?" Hermione snapped. "You're the one who wants to be all soft and cuddly like a bunny rabbit one minute and a complete jerk the next!"

"OH, SHUT IT, THE BOTH OF YOU!" James exploded.

They both stared at him with wide eyes.

"All I've heard for the past month is Poor Sirius and Poor Hermione and Poor Remus - what about Poor James, yeah?" James was yelling. "You all seem to have forgotten that I'm the one who is losing all of his friends because of some stupid love triangle that I frankly still do not understand! And, if you haven't noticed, I am sitting here in a bloody dress with a wedgie!" He furiously picked at his bum. "Does no one care that after tonight I am going to be permanently mentally and emotionally scarred and it is entirely your faults?"

Hermione and Sirius were petrified.

"Now, if neither of you mind, I am off to Sirius's room where I am going to sleep on the bed where I will no doubt have a series of cross-dressing nightmares before promptly leaving tomorrow morning to go back to my mummy," James said indignantly, nose stuck in air, cheeks flushed. He took his glass off the bedside, stuck them on his face theatrically and marched to the door, throwing it open and halting.

Standing in the doorway, obviously having been eavesdropping, was Regulus. He was wearing a white t-shirt and green-and-black plaid flannel pants.

"I thought you said you silenced the room!" Hermione hissed.

Sirius huffed. "I lied, Hermione. We're not allowed to use magic out of school, remember!"

"As if that's stopped you before!"

"Oh, the both of you need to shut the hell up," Regulus sneered, his heavy brow scrunched in aggravation. "Even if you silenced the room, a deaf man could hear all of you screaming." He looked James up and down. "Blue is more your color, Potter."

James sneered.

"I may be younger than all of you," Regulus went on, "but I'm a great deal smarter. Tonight it was all but obvious that it wasn't really Hermione dancing with Sirius. Potter made sure of that. Two left feet and all."

"You're one to talk, Black," Potter hissed. "You can barely make it to Divination without falling flat on your face, Twinkle Toes."

"If you didn't shoot those stupid Tripping Jinxes on me, that wouldn't happen, now would it!" Regulus snapped, his entire face beet red.

"Still doesn't explain your lousy broom work!"

"I will get that Snitch first one of these days, mark my words!"

"Stick to the grasses and burrows, Snake," Potter growled tauntingly. "And leave the Quidditch pitch to us lions."

Regulus's sneer deepened and he eyed each person in the room with contempt, finally landing on Hermione. "I don't know what you're up to," he purred ominously, "but whatever it is, I'll find out. For now, I'll be generous and keep my mouth shut. But if I should ever need a favor...it would be advantageous for you not to decline, dear sister."

Regulus marched away, slamming his bedroom door behind him. Hermione was very grateful at that moment that their parents' bedroom was several floors above them.

James looked to both of his friends glaringly and said, "Goodnight." And he followed in slamming Sirius's door as if he owned it. Sirius and Hermione were alone.

Hermione faced her other brother then. "Get out of my room, now, please."

"You still owe me an explanation."

"I owe you nothing."

"Like fuck you don't!" Sirius hissed. "I kissed James because of you!"

"That's what you get for trying to kiss me after I expressly told you not to!"

"Still!" Sirius waved his hands wildly while saying, "You ruin everything! I proposed to James, dammit!"

"No," Hermione said clearly. "You proposed to me. Weeks ago. Why would you propose again?"

Sirius clammed up in a blink. He had poured out his heart that night to the wrong person - James - and in a few short hours he was starting to realize that maybe she wasn't the person he thought she was.

"No reason," Sirius said coldly. "I'm going to bed." He turned to go, but Hermione snatched his sleeve.

"Sirius," she said, sounding drained. All of her anger and animosity was gone and now she was just soft and pleading; desperate. "I...really am sorry. For everything. For my distance and coldness. And I really wish I could tell you everything, but...you ignorance, for now, keeps you safe. Do you understand?"

Sirius paused for a long amount of time. Finally he said, solemnly, "I will accept your apology and stop asking questions under one condition."

"Anything," Hermione immediately swore.

"You have to kiss me," Sirius said gravely.

Hermione swallowed, nodded, and tipped her head up, waiting for him to take the few steps forward and bring his mouth to hers.

"No, 'Mione," Sirius said, shaking his head slowly. "You have to kiss me. You need to initiate - this one time."

She took a deep breath. Her cheeks were pink. Hermione was nervous. She walked slowly to him and looked up into her dark grey eyes. He waited, staring back down at her.

Hermione lifted up on her toes and cupped one hand around the back of his neck to brace herself while she touched her lips to his. Hermione could feel Sirius's shoulder stiffen as he forced himself not to touch her back and give up control. Obviously she was going to be the one in charge. She brushed her mouth to hiss again and he kissed back slowly. She took his lips between hers and heard him gasp ever-so quietly, letting out a slow breath into her mouth.

"Is that enough?" Hermione asked, pulling away and opening her eyes. Her head was spinning.

"Not nearly," Sirius mumbled, leaning down and this time kissing her soundly. His eager hands reached around her and tugged her waist tight to his.

Pressed against him, Hermione could feel how much older Sirius was. It never truly hit her that he wasn't the same gawky thirteen-year-old she met those years ago or the haunted older man she knew even longer before. Now he was on the cusp of manhood, tall and broad-shouldered and confident. He folded her small frame into him possessively and she tingled everything.

His large hands caressed her face. "You're so soft," he murmured between kisses. Mouth never leaving hers, their tongues dancing sensually, his hands slid down to the hem of her shirt and slipped up it to touch her bare waist and stomach. Her gasped a little, but didn't full away as Sirius's fingers left warm, tingly trails on her skin.

Normally Hermione didn't have a problem saying no to Sirius, but for some reason that night she just couldn't.

...~oOo~...

"Remus!" Hermione called out, waving at him through the crowd in Diagon Alley. Her face was flushed from the cold and a pretty layer of snow covered everything, including the crowds of people waiting for the New Year fireworks.

The tall, sandy-haired boy waded through and met her half way. She wrapped Remus into a tight hug and announced, "I missed you. So much. I'm sorry for everything - my distance before holiday and everything. I didn't appreciate you the way I should have."

A little surprised at her very sudden apology, Remus just smiled and hugged her back, brushing her hair gently with his long, cold hand. "It's alright, Hermione. I've already forgiven you."

"I've got your Christmas gift," Hermione said, eagerly reaching into her thick wool coat and holding a small rectangular wrapped box with a box on top in her mitten-sheathed hands.

Remus had never seen Hermione so adorable before. She was beaming, her chocolate eyes glimmering, wearing a blue and pink knit hat with matching mittens, a red nose, and bright cheeks.

Pulling himself out of it, Remus said, "You didn't have to -"

"I know," she said, cutting him off, thrusting the present into his hands. "I wanted to. Now open it!"

He chuckled and looked at her once more before yanking off the gold ribbon and pulling the red wrapping off of it. Inside was a thick, dark brown wooden box. On the top was an abstract image made of a bunch of tiny squares. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. He looked around all over it and on each side were small brass clasps that did not open.

"What is it?" Remus asked, confused.

"It's a puzzle box!" Hermione said, still smiling broadly. "I designed it. See, the little squares on top make a photo and in the photo is a riddle. You you have to shift around the little boxes to form the picture and reveal the riddle. Once you solve the riddle, you say the answer out loud to the box and one of the clasps pop open. And then the box mixes up the little box pieces and you have to put together another photo and solve another riddle."

Stunned, Remus looked at the seemingly-simple box with new eyes. "How many pictures are there?"

"Four," Hermione said, pointing to the coordinating amount of clasps. "And once you figure out the last one there's something special inside for you!"

"Hermione," Remus said, examining his gift, "how long do you anticipate it will take me to complete this."

"Approximately five years," she answered, no hint of joking in her voice.

Remus was godsmacked. "Five years? That's a long time, Hermione!"

"Then you better get working, now shouldn't you!" Hermione laughed, reaching out and hooking her arm through his.

"I think you underestimate my puzzle-solving abilities," he said, smiling, tucking the box into his pocket. "I'm very good at puzzles. I'll prove you wrong."

"We'll see," Hermione said with a mischievous little grin.

Shaking his head in amusement, he looked up at the spot in the sky where the firework display was to go off soon. Very inconspicuously and sneakily, he slipped a small package into her palm.

"Remus!" she said in surprise, looking down at the box. "You didn't have to -"

"I know," he cut her off quickly with a big smile. "I wanted to."

"You dare use my own words against me?" Hermione teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Just open it," he said, laughing.

Hermione used her teeth to pull off her mitten and used the one hand to pull apart the green wrapping while her mitten dangled from her mouth. Inside was a small black box and when she popped it open inside were two tiny silver earrings shaped like wolves with their heads thrown back, howling. They were simple and small and beautiful.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione murmured, the glove falling to the ground in her awe. Wide-eyed, she held them up closer to her face and saw how detailed they were.

"Not as cool as a puzzle box," Remus said, "but -"

"Perfect," Hermione said, slicing through his sentence. "They're absolutely perfect. But Remus, I couldn't -"

"I won't take them back no matter what you say," he vowed solemnly. "They're meant for you. I just want you to see them and think of me."

"Where did you get them?" Hermione asked as she began replacing the small diamond studs in her ears from her new beautiful wolves.

"At the gift shop when we were camping," he said. "There was a bunch of different earrings. Bears, owls, and even squirrels. But I thought you'd like these best."

"You were right," she said, touching her ears and putting the empty box into her coat. "How do they look?"

"Wonderful," he said, talking less about the jewelry and more about her. "Like you said, perfect."

Hermione kept her mittens off and reached out to hold her best friend's hand. Their cold fingers intertwined and held tight.

Out in the sky, a single rocket burst into the sky and exploded into numbers, starting with ten and counting downward.

Everyone gathered in Diagon Alley, including Hermione and Remus, counted along, finally getting down to, "3...2...1...!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone yelled as the night sky was suddenly exploding with glorious colors and shapes and sparks.

Hermione leaned on Remus's shoulder. "Happy New Year, Remus."

"Happy New Year, Hermione," he returned, speaking loudly over the roaring throngs of witches and wizards. "What's your resolution this year?"

Hermione just smiled wider as the words resounded in her head, You are.

...~oOo~...

The first day back from holiday, it felt to Remus like all their problems had been magically mended. Sirius and Hermione were back to their usual squabbling and laughing and Sirius had made a very sincere apology to Remus and returned to being the same loyal and loving friend that Sirius Black was known to be. James's spirits lifted as well and was overjoyed to have his pack of friends back together.

When Remus asked James what had happened to make the tension float away, James said, "I know just as much as you, mate. Which is next to nothing. All I know is that they had a big blowout on Christmas and the next morning it was as if nothing happened at all. My guess is they had a nice long chat and resolved everything. It's what they needed."

Remus couldn't help but agree, but was glad all the same.

About a week later at dinner, Remus was in his usual place beside Hermione and James was beside Sirius. They were making plans for the Map.

"FINE!" Hermione finally declared as James persisted in pestering her. "If it's alright with Remus, you and Sirius can take a turn at charming the Map!"

"Fine by me," Remus said with a shrug.

Sirius and James high-fived.

"But no funny business," Hermione said warningly. "Understand? No features that makes it self-destruct, no knives shooting out."

"Deal," James said. "But you two have to go passage hunting."

Hermione and Remus gave a nod. "Deal," she agreed.

"I'll give Remus the Cloak tonight," James was saying. "Go out after midnight, most of the Prefects and teachers will be in bed by then. If anything happens and you can't get to the portrait, you know the safe house."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. What do you predict will happen on Remus and Hermione's nighttime adventure? 2. What do you think happened that made Hermione and Sirius go back to the way they were? 3. What do you think is inside Remus's puzzle box? 4. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish


	12. A Conversation in the Room

A/N. ANOTHER CHAPTER! YEY!

A few notes. A reviewer recently pointed out about how insufficient I am at proofreading. I am aware of this and I'm sorry. I am sorry to have to ask for your patience because I know how annoying little typos can be, but I work ten-hour days, six-days a week and when I'm not working, I am doing laundry, cooking, throwing up or dealing with many of the other symptoms that comes with pregnancy. There are simply not enough hours in the day, but I try to update even if it takes me until two in the morning to write a full chapter for you guys and after that I simply don't have the energy to do a proper read-through.

As always, I invite you to point out the errors, but if I'm being honest, I simply will not have time to immediately fix them. My life is hectic and this week I've been called in to work a full seven days. It has not been easy.

Also, I made the mistake of saying Bellatrix was marrying Lucius which was obviously stupid of me, haha. I meant to say Bellatrix's sister was engaged to Lucius, obviously. Again, I wrote this as one in the morning when I was half asleep and just determined to finish the chapter. This is a fanfiction anyway, I don't have an editor and have no desire to get a beta. Unless of course my beta were Aurora-16 whom I adore, haha.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twelve: A Conversation in the Room

"I feel awful..." Hermione whispered.

"Did I step on your foot again?" Remus asked anxiously.

"No, no," Hermione said. "Just...breaking rules. There are rules for a reason, you know." She was whispering fast and nervously.

Remus shifted under the Invisibility Cloak. They didn't fit under it the way they did when he Sirius and James were small. Peter and the three Marauders used to fit in nice and snug, but then Hermione came around and...

Wait, Remus thought. Hermione came around and...Peter wasn't around anymore. How strange. He hadn't ever considered that maybe Hermione's appearance in their lives had any direct relation with Peter growing away.

"If we aren't seen and heard out after curfew," Remus whispered, "then whose to say we ever actually broke the rules?"

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one if there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Hermione said, sounding doubtful.

"Precisely," Remus said. "If we aren't caught, nothing proves this ever happened."

"That doesn't exactly comfort me," Hermione mumbled as they walked around the halls. It was dark and all the torches were out, the portraits were snoring.

Hermione was determined to find a passageway that night. She was thinking back to the Marauders' Map in her era and was coming up blank.

But then she remembered a place that not even the Marauders had been able to find and went undocumented on the Map of her home timeline. She smiled and started leading Remus in its direction.

...~oOo~...

"I know Hermione said that we can't make it blow up," Sirius was saying in the dorm, "but really...how much harm can a little exploding do?"

"I don't know, Pads," James said with a smirk. "Why don't you ask her tampons?"

Sirius scowled and stared down at the map.

James and Sirius were sitting cross-legged across from one another on the former's bed with the Map between them, staring up at them as the rare name floated across the pages. Most everyone was in bed. Except for Filch, Hermione, and Remus. The Map was opened up to follow Remus and Hermione's path.

"So...Sirius," James said, trying to remain casual. "I've been meaning to ask you a question. But we're never really alone and the last time we were alone I was in a dress and we'd just kissed, so it seemed like bad taste to bring such things up at that time."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to like this question, am I?"

"Probably not, but I'm going to ask it anyway." James cleared his throat. "When I was pretending to be Hermione...you said that you and she had snogged in the library. And I'm curious..._why the fuck didn't you tell me immediately_?"

The boy with the long, wavy black hair sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I was hoping my kissing skills would have addled your senses enough to make you forget I ever said that."

"Well, obviously you don't snog as well as you thought you did."

"I do snog as well as I know I do," Sirius said confidently. "If you'd just relaxed and enjoyed, I'm sure I could have made you question your sexuality."

"In your dreams."

"In _your _sexual fantasies ."

"Stop changing the subject and tell me how you came to snog Hermione!" James huffed.

"It had been very abrupt and emotions were running high because we'd been fighting and then we kissed again in_ front _of the library and then...well, I tried kissing her again but then you had been her and we all know how that fiasco ended."

James eyed him suspiciously. "And that was the last time you tried kissing her - when I was her? Because you didn't come back to your bedroom that night, Sirius. One wonders..."

"Did you wait up for me, darling?" Sirius said mockingly. "Worried I was sharing another woman's bed? Because you know you're the only bird for me, baby."

James backhanded Sirius, but they both just laughed.

"Can you be serious?"

"I always a-"

"NO. STOP RIGHT THERE. LET ME REPHRASE," James said strongly, holding up a hand. "Can you please be...honest. Yes, that is an acceptable word."

"Fine," Sirius sighed. "Nothing happened between Hermione and I on Christmas."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, believe it. Because it's true. We apologized to one another and went to bed. I didn't come back to my room because you snore like an elephant and seeing you in a dress was disturbing enough that I took a guest room," Sirius explained. "That's it."

"I think I looked pretty good in that dress."

Sirius frowned. "I hate to say it, but Regulus was right. You'd have looked better in blue." Sirius looked down at the Map and titled her head to see a pair of moving feet. "What's Filch doing in the third floor girl lavatories?" he asked. "I always knew he was a pervert."

"Moaning Myrtle probably flooded the bathroom again," James said. "I wonder where Moony and Whiskers are...wait. Where are they?" James started flipping trough the folds quickly but Hermione and Remus were nowhere to be found. "Oh this is no fair!" James huffed.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"They've disappeared." James pouted. "They must have found a secret passageway. You and I hunt for months and they found a Hogwarts secret on their very first night. This sucks."

...~oOo~...

The wall had moved for them, the bricks tumbling to the side in a way that reminded Remus of his puzzle box, and there was the door. Looking confident and not at all perplexed by this sudden development, Hermione reached out and twisted the knob. Inside was a room so large that Remus couldn't see the make a guess to where it ended, filled to the brim with the most random of things.

Shelves were filled and buckets were overflowing and warped and broken pieces of furniture were lounging about. Chandeliers and mobiles hung from the ceiling and magic wind chimes sang. It was a collage of colors and shapes and shiny objects.

"What is this place...?" Remus asked, taking it all in with awe.

"If I'm correct..." _Which I am_. "This is the Room of Requirement. Sometimes it's called the Come and Go Room." Hermione pretended to look at it all with the same amazement, but she just wanted to laugh. She'd been to this room so many times between Dumbledore's Army, the Battle, and then just the year before when looking for the Diadem.

"Interesting," Remus mused, turning a shelf filled with every kind of nutcracker you could imagine. One of them was beheaded.

"I guess we can tell James and Sirius about this when we get back," Hermione said with a secret smile.

"But...how did you know it was here?" he asked.

"I didn't," she denied a little too quickly.

"Then why did you seem so confident when you stopped at the wall?"

"I'd heard of the Room of Requirement before," she explained. "And I...heard some rumors that it was in this area."

Remus nodded, seeming to believe it.

"Should we go back and tell them?" Remus asked.

Hermione shrugged. "It's up to you."

"Let's fetch them," Remus said with a nod. "They'll want to see this..."

And then they froze at the sound of voices deep in the room. Low, whispering voices. Remus lifted a finger to his lips, signaling Hermione to remain quiet, and gestured for her to follow him.

They crouched low and stayed behind shelves and furniture, following the whispers.

Then they saw a small group of people, all talking near a large cabinet. Their identities were mostly obscured by a large plant with writhing vines and a mosaic wind chime.

But Hermione knew their voices.

"We've waited long enough," a slow, sensual voice said. "The Dark Lord does not like to be kept waiting, Nott."

Nott? Hermione said. As in...Theodore Nott Sr.?

And the man speaking...it was her cousin Narcissa's fiancee. Lucius Malfoy.

"I am aware," a younger voice that Hermione knew from her Transfiguration class. Theo Nott was as Slytherin as Slytherins come. He and Severus Snape were often seen walking around together. "But I cannot find what you are asking me to look for. If you only told me the purpose it served, I could perhaps -"

"The Dark Lord does not need to explain himself to a child like you!" a new tone hissed harshly. Hermione swallowed at the female's voice.

"Calm down, Bella," Lucius purred to his crazy sister-in-law. "He doesn't know better. He will learn, though. Now, Theo...I'm afraid not even I can tell you the importance of finding the item, mostly because I do not know myself. But the Dark Lord has his reasons and Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and I cannot be in the castle constantly hunting it for it ourselves, now can we? Which is why we are relying on you. We are counting on you, as is our Lord."

"I hate to be the one to say this," said the annoyed-sounding Nott, "but it is called the Lost Diadem for a reason. It. Is. _Lost_."

Hermione stifled a gasp. Theo Nott was looking for Rowena's Diadem? But...why?

A very sick feeling settled in her stomach. Theo wouldn't be finding the Diadem because it was currently in her room under her bed.

"Listen here you ungrateful little toad," Bellatrix snarled. "I do not care if the bloody thing is buried a thousand feet underground in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of a venomous spider pit. You will retrieve it and you will return it to the Dark Lord. Do you comprehend?"

Her wand must have been pressed to his throat because Nott replied weakly, "Alright...alright, I'll search harder."

"Good boy," Bellatrix purred, no doubt stroking the boy like a puppy.

"We will return again in one week," Lucius intoned, a warning boiling behind his words. "Same time. By then you will have the Diadem." There was an unspoken "or else".

And then the two shapes climbed into the cabinets and the hiding duo listened to Theo Nott's footsteps retreat as he murmured to himself and left the room.

Remus was the first to speak. "They were Death Eaters."

"I know," Hermione said quietly, still shaken.

"Your cousins -"

"I know," she said again.

"But...why does You-Know-Who want Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem?" Remus mused, sitting on the floor and leaning against the side of what looked to be an old toy trunk. "And do you think it's in this room? I mean, this place is filled with junk."

"It's not in here," Hermione said, the words barely a breath. "It's in my room."

Remus's eyes were saucers. "But...why is one of the most fabled and famous lost artifacts _in your room_?"

"Remus, I have to tell you something - something you cannot tell James or Sirius."

Remus hesitated, but slowly nodded.

Hermione took a deep breath and swallowed. This was bound to be difficult. She obviously couldn't tell him the whole truth - doing so would get her a one-way ticket to the Incurable Wing at St. Mungo's.

And Remus was one of the smartest people she knew. He could very well be a big help to her.

"I am on a mission from Dumbledore," Hermione said, choosing her words carefully, "to collect a series of Dark artifacts belonging to Lord Voldemort."

None of what she said was a lie, of course. She was just leaving out the whole time travel sequence.

Remus looked the slightest bit doubtful, but mostly calculating as he absorbed this. "What sort of artifacts?"

"Remus, have you ever heard of a Horcrux?"

...~oOo~...

The next morning at breakfast, Remus was practically asleep. They had spent most of their night talking through Hermione's mission. He still didn't know all of her secrets, which was a good thing, but he knew just enough to be worried for Hermione's life. He made her swear that the moment she began looking for the last of the Horcruxes that she'd inform him so he could help in anyway possible. She was touched that he volunteered to be her Horcrux hunting help and agreed.

Remus's head was down on the table, his face tucked into his arms. Hermione affectionately organized his hair while his breathing got deeper and deeper.

James and Sirius looked like they each took an adrenaline shot that morning, though. They obviously had some kind of secret they were just bursting at the seams to announce.

"I cannot contain myself any longer, Padfoot," James declared loudly.

Remus wrenched upward from his sleep. He looked confused and Hermione gently brushed the hair out of his eyes. She loved his hair - the silky softness of it and the sandy color.

"Nor can I, Prongs!" Sirius agreed, nodding vigorously. "We have to show them!"

"Oh no," Remus automatically groaned. "This does not bode well."

"Ignoring Remus's grouchy quips," James said, unfazed, "Sirius and I were discussing last night about how we would be able to further protect the Map from prying eyes."

"Because having a password isn't good enough, obviously," Remus intoned sarcastically. His eyes had dark circles under them and he was scowling.

"While I do not appreciate the cynicism, yes, Moony, that is exactly why," Sirius said. "And since my sister so kindly outlawed pyrotechnics and knives, we came up with a clever little way to avoid intruders."

James slipped the Map from his pocket. It looked like a simple stack of parchment and he laid it in the middle of the four of them.

"Sirius Black," Sirius said with a grin, "is by the far most brilliant and handsome wizard in the entire world."

Bleeding up into the parchment in ink were the words, _Mr. Padfoot agrees with that very well-put observation. _

_Mr. Prongs believes Sirius Black must mean the _second_ most brilliant and handsome wizard in the world._

_Mr. Moony thinks that both Mr. Prongs and Mr. Padfoot only made this feature to stroke their own egos. _

_Miss Whiskers says that the only characteristics of Sirius Black that belong after the word "most" are "annoying" and "narcissistic". _

Hermione wanted to laugh hysterically. She had completely forgotten about that little feature!

"So...what?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "The Map talks back now. How does this keep people from looking?"

"Say a teacher starts snooping around it," James said, grinning. "The moment they try to get the Map to reveal its secrets and properties, it will start insulting them."

"That's...idiotic," Hermione said, suppressing a smile. Of course it would be James and Sirius to think that up. "But, I'll admit, it's clever."

"I know," Sirius said proudly.

"_You _know?" James grumbled. "I'm the one who thought of it!"

"It was a joint effort," Sirius allowed breezily, taking a large bite of toast.

"_No_," James corrected, "it was a one-person effort. That one person was _me_."

"James, why is it that you're always so eager to take all the credit for my master ideas?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because they're _my ideas_?"

"Can't you be satisfied that we both contributed to this fantastic little charm? Really, James, when did you become so selfish?"

"Hah!" James scoffed. "Me? Selfish? Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is!"

"But we're both not Black," Sirius said. "Only I am. And Hermione."

"YOU MAKE ONE MORE PUN WITH YOUR STUPID NAME, I AM GOING TO SKIN YOU AND MAKE YOU INTO BOOTS. I MEAN IT, SIRIUS, I AM -"

"Serious?" Sirius challenged. "Is that what you were about to say? Because what a coincidence - so am I."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. What do you think is inside Remus's puzzle box? 2. Why is Voldemort suddenly looking for his Diadem now? 3. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish


	13. The Second Favor

A/N. Happy Fourth Of July to my fellow Americans! And to my Canadians, Happy Independence as well! And to the French, in a few days Happy Bastille Day!

I am sorry to report that this chapter does not contain any Sirius, Remus, or James. But if my plan works out, in a few hours I will be posting ANOTHER chapter that DOES include them!

Now we are getting more into the real plot. I've taken my time building to this point and here is the beginning of the real start of Hermione's task.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirteen: The Second Favor

"Butterscotch Crumpet," Hermione pronounced to the gargoyle. It then leapt aside and Hermione proceeded up to Dumbledore's office.

It was her free period between Potions and History of Magic and sun was shining through all of the windows of the room. The portraits all seemed to be in high spirits because of the lovely day and the warmth the study had. Being headmaster apparently had some perks, of course - a nice, cozy office while the rest of the castle was drafty and chilly. Every time Hermione stepped into the office, she felt safe.

It was one of the only things in her change between timelines that really didn't change. It was like a substitute home.

"Miss Black," Albus Dumbledore said, gesturing to an arm chair in front of his desk. "Please have a seat while we wait for our tea. Your letter was quite urgent."

"I apologize for causing any alarm, Headmaster, but I do believe this is, indeed, urgent," Hermione said as she sat in her seat. She dug into her bag and pulled out her wooden jewelry box and put it on the desk.

"Ah," Dumbledore said with grave understanding. "It's something to do with your mission."

"Yes," she said. "Last night I was out after hours and we came across the Room of Requirement and -"

"I am sorry to interrupt, but already your tale seems a bit out of character," Dumbledore said. "You are normally very obedient of the rules. What caused you to be out after hours and just so happen to stumble upon the Room of Requirement? May I hazard a guess that your brother was involved?"

"Um...yes and no," she said uncertainly. "I suppose one could say that. As for the Room of Requirement, I was already aware of where it was due to my...um...condition."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding and gestured for her to proceed.

"I do not know if you are aware, but there is a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement."

"Yes, there is. It's sister's whereabouts are confidential."

"Well, I do believe if you were to check on the sister cabinet, you'd find it stolen, sir," Hermione answered, frowning. "Because last night I a few familiar figures coming through the cabinet and speaking with a student."

Dumbledore's expression grew increasingly solemn. "Am I right to assume these were Death Eaters?"

Hermione nodded gravely. "Yes, sir. My cousin and my cousin-to-be. Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy. They were communicating with Theodore Nott on his mission to retrieve the Lost Diadem."

Dumbledore took a large breath and stood from his chair to pace in front of his fireplace. Hermione was anxious and antsy, but did not interrupt her headmaster's reverie. He was obviously thinking very deeply.

"Miss Black," he finally said. "If you wouldn't mind my borrowing that memory?" He strolled over to open a small ornate door to reveal his Pensieve.

Without hesitation, Hermione brought the tip of her wand to her temple and closed her eyes and she dislodges the silvery strand of memory to place in the basin. It immediately glowed a misty bluish hue and Dumbeldore tipped his face into the liquid to examine her thoughts.

When Dumbledore resurfaced, she pushed down her urge to question him in what the conversation meant and what were they going to do and so on. It was a physical effort to keep her mouth closed.

"Peculiar," Dumbledore mused. "Very...peculiar..."

"I'm sorry, sir, but...what is?"

"That while the sister Vanishing Cabinet is obviously in the hands of the Death Eaters," the old man mused, "they are deciding not to invade."

"It would not exactly be advantageous to invade Hogwarts at this juncture," Hermione said. "They are spending too much of their efforts on taking control of the Ministry, correct?"

A small smile graced Dumbledore's face. "Sometimes I forget, Miss Black, how truly brilliant you are. It is truly a blessing, your intelligence."

"From Merlin himself, Sirius would say," Hermione said, without enthusiasm. She could not stop herself any longer, so she finally asked. "Headmaster, why is the Dark Lord looking for his Horcrux now? What does this mean?"

"The contents of this box," Dumbledore said as she reached out to touch thecarved wood of the box, "are pieces of Tom Riddle. While he is ripping apart his soul, that does not deny the fact that he is still a man and still has a connection with the pieces that he's been hiding away. Your collecting his Horcruxes, I am guessing, causes a great sense of unease in him. He does not know that you are hunting them, no, but he can feel in the remnants of his soul that something just isn't right.

"But he is prideful enough to believe," Dumbledore said carefully, "that no one could ever find out his secret. In order to make himself believe that his unease is no cause for alarm, he is treating it as trivial."

"Which is why," Hermione said, filling in the blanks, "he is having a junior Death Eater retrieve it and not on his own."

"Precisely," the man said with a small, sad smile.

"He felt something was wrong," Hermione put together, "which is why he needed to find his Horcrux, and he had to have a way of getting into the castle. So when he was a boy hiding the Diadem, I'll bet you anything he saw that Vanishing Cabinet, and that is why he had the sister stolen now. He needed a way of passage."

"I have the slightest suspicion," Dumbledore said, "that Voldemort did not have access to the second Cabinet in this war."

"No," Hermione confirmed, "not in _this _war."

Dumbledore nodded. "I would remove the Cabinet immediately if I didn't know it would cause great suspicion in the Death Eaters. They may suspect young Theodore of being a breach if it were to be moved and while he is an enemy, he is also just a boy. And...I do believe I have a plan for how we could use the Cabinet to an advantage of our own."

"How is that, Headmaster?"

The old man fell into a heavy hesitation. He strolled slowly around to sit in his chair and lean forward. "I am afraid, Miss Black, that I find myself asking a great favor of you."

Last time Hermione heard Dumbledore utter those words, she found herself drinking a Youth Potion and sending herself back in time. Basically, she was ready for anything.

"Are you aware...in your condition...of a certain secret society of mine?" he asked with a glitter in his blue eyes.

"Do you mean the Order of the Phoenix? Yes, I am."

"I would like to induct you," he said slowly. "But I fear the mission I give you would be far more dangerous than even sending you back in time twenty or thirty years."

"I think you will find, Dumbledore," Hermione said with a somber expression, "that I would do anything if it meant an end to Lord Voldemort."

Dumbledore was impressed by the obvious determination and strength the young girl showed and the boldness of uttering such a feared name. He knew, then, that asking the girl to sacrifice her everything would prove to be as valuable as he suspected.

Little did he knew his future portrait had already planned on her sacrificing her very life for one of his favors.

...~oOo~...

Lying on the ground, Hermione weakly rolled to her stomach and propped herself up with shaky elbows. She coughed and from her mouth splattered red onto the wooden floors. She must have bitten the inside of her cheek and tongue very hard.

"Please," she rasped, "just give me a five minute break - AHH!" Hermione crashed to the floor again in a torrent of pain that shot through hr body and left her in a spasm on the floor. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to scream.

The pain finally receded.

A loud, booming voice declared, "Do you think the Dark Lord will give you a break, missy? Well, do you?" Alastor Moody's whole face was scrunched in his signature contempt for everything. His false eyes spun wildly in his head. "You'll soon be dealing with the devil himself and do you believe if he had his black heart set on torturing you to death, that if you asked nicely _he would give you a blasted break?_"

Hermione rolled onto her back to look up at him more directly. She glared at the Auror charged with her training. For the past month during his lessons he had some kind of lesson plan like using the Patronus Charm or how to properly cast an Unforgivable. Today it seemed he was just going to Crucio her until she could could withstand it and not scream.

"Of course not," she spat, breathing heavily. "But you're not Voldemort and I'm not quite a Death Eater just yet, so I ask again, _may I have a break before I lose my mind_?"

Moody scowled and watched as Hermione shakily collected herself up off the floor and brushed off her shoulders and back. They were in the Shrieking Shack, mostly because if she screamed from one of Moody's "lessons" it was easily brushed off as it being one of the howling ghosts that the Shack was known for. Those howling ghosts were actually Remus during his full moon, but no one paid much attention to the regularity of said shrieking.

"I pray to the gods," Moody growled, "that Dumbledore knows he is entrusting the lives of the Order in a child."

Hermione squelched the reflex to correct him and say that she was more than twenty now - but her time-traveling secret remained between she and Dumbledore. No one else was to know. That had been their pact.

"It's one in the morning," Moody said. "You should head up to Dumbledore for your meeting with him."

She nodded and rubbed at her head which had been whipped against the floor multiple times throughout the night with the force of each Crucio.

Abruptly and without warning, Moody ripped out his wand and cast, "_Legilimens_."

With a firm mental push, Hermione fought off his intrusion.

Moody grudgingly gave an approving nod. "Albus was right. You are a natural Occlumens. Perhaps he does know what he's doing."

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was feeling the after-effects of being tortured for an extended amount of time and was throwing up her dinner into a wastebasket in her headmaster's office. It was brought on by a series of painful coughing and then it was hacking and then it was gagging.

A house-elf popped into the room and set a tray of tea on Dumbledore's desk. The old man thanked the small creature and Hermione weakly nodded her thanks and the elf was gone. Hermione was in no state to object to the use of house-elves, so she let it go, albeit begrudgingly.

Hermione recovered from her being sick and sat up, reaching for the cup of peppermint tea gratefully. With each sip, her stomach settled.

"Are you feeling better?" her headmaster asked. She nodded and he continued, "I am sorry for scheduling a meeting so late after your lessons with Alastor, but I was curious as to how your friendship with Mr. Nott is progressing?"

Hermione sneered. The memory of how she "started" a friendship with the boy floated to the front of her head.

_..._

_Flooding out of Potions class were a frenzy of red and golds and silvers and greens. The Fifth Years were eager to get out of the dungeon and out to play in the snow before it began melting for spring. _

_Hermione normally took her time to organize her notes and collect her things, but that day she was locked in on Theodore Nott. The boy was slower than most of the other frantic children, but she suspected that had something to do with how paranoid he was. _

_Hermione had been following Theodore a week and realized that every step he took was with caution and he was constantly checking to his left and right and behind him. This was a trait that he either possessed from being a Death Eater or fro actually being stalked. _

_Today was the day Hermione was going to pounce. If she was going to convince Theodore that she was Death Eater material and worthy of coming to one of his meetings with Lucius and Bellatrix then she couldn't act like herself. _

Think Slytherin_, she told herself. _Think Bellatrix.

_The thought went against her nature, but she figured it was mind over matter_. _She started considering what Bellatrix would do. _

_The answer was very clear. _

_Once Hermione saw that most of the other kids were too far ahead in excitement to enjoy the winter weather, and that it was just she and Theodore, she rushed forward, grabbed him by the back of his robes and tossed him into a nook in the dungeons. It was a dark corner and Hermione had the element of surprise on her hand. _

_Theodore was sputtering and grabbing for his wand, but in a flash Hermione disarmed him and pressed the tip of her own wand to the soft underneath of his chin. _

_"I know your secret, Nott," she said slowly and calmly. She held her chin in the confident and threateningly way both Bellatrix and Sirius did when they wanted to make it clear they were in charge. _

_The boy opened his mouth, looking furious, but Hermione pressed the wand harder into his flesh and he said nothing._

_"I've seen you out after hours and I see how you've taken to wearing long sleeves. Not too uncommon for such weather, but in Potions when the cauldrons get too hot...you only ever roll up your right sleeve," Hermione said evenly, staring into his eyes hazel intently. "Strange, isn't it? Or maybe it isn't strange at all."_

_With a sharp tug with her free hand she tore of his shirt sleeve and bore the Dark Mark of his forearm. _

_"What are you going to do?" he said challengingly, though his voice was slightly uneven. "Rat on me to Dumbledore? I may be put in Azkaban, but the Dark Lord will come after you and -"_

_Hermione let out a harsh laugh. "Don't be daft! Why would I 'rat on you' when I admire you?"_

_Theodore blinked. "What?"_

_"You heard me." Hermione removed her wand from his chin and smiled like a snake. "I admire you, Theodore. I might go as far to say that I aspire to be just like you." _

_..._

"Mostly," Hermione said to her headmaster, "he and I just go to the Room of Requirement and look for the diadem. He keeps saying that I can't talk with Bellatrix and Lucius until the tiara is found, but we know that isn't going to happen."Sipping on her tea, her stomach settled but a graver feeling was sinking in as well.

"You have to prove yourself," Dumbledore said, sitting back and absently turning a big heavy ring on his finger. "Which might mean doing something very foolish and that would set us back a few paces."

Hermione sighed heavily. "You want me to plant the Diadem back in the Room and miraculously 'find' it, don't you?"

"And return it to the Dark Lord yourself, yes," Dumbledore said with a nod. "While it means giving up one of the only things that have us in the lead, it will serve a greater purpose and no doubt gain you a place in Voldemort's ranks, which is important above all else at this point."

The headmaster paused. "Hermione, you promised me, at the start of this mission that you would be willing to do whatever it takes to maintain your position as a spy. And I do not pretend to know what sort of process it takes to obtain the Dark Mark, but from what your friend Mr. Nott has alluded to, it cannot be pleasant.

"But returning this Horcrux to the Dark Lord," Dumbledore said as he retrieved the box from his drawer, where they agreed to keep the Horcruxes while Hermione was weaseling her way into Voldemort's trust, "could very well be a one-way ticket to receiving the Mark yourself and I must ask you one more time if you are prepared to receive the Mark, kill innocents, torture children, and _do anything_ to be a Death Eater."

Hermione looked her mentor in the eyes. "You and I had a deal, Headmaster. Are you ready to uphold the your end of our deal, the promise you made to me?"

Dumbledore answered simply, "Yes."

"Then so am I."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW

Challenge: 1. What's your theory on how Death Eaters get the Dark Mark? 2. What do you think was the promise Dumbledore made to Hermione in return for her acceptance of the mission? 3. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	14. Meeting Riddle

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fourteen: Meeting Riddle

Hermione believed that Theodore was developing something of a crush on her. He'd increasingly become more and more determined to be right up against her when they were looking for the diadem, so much that it was becoming impossible to plant the Diadem under her robe without him seeing her take it out.

The day before she had suggested casually to Theodore - "call me Theo," he'd say - that they split up when they were looking for Ravenclaw's tiara. He'd agreed, though reluctantly it seemed, but it had been the most logical idea so that night he was obliging.

Theo still talked loudly from across the room, though. He held up most of the conversation. He talked a lot about Quidditch which made her roll her eyes. He was not unlike every other young wizard and his stupid love for the sport. Sometimes he'd speak reverently of the Dark Lord and how he was going to take power of the wizarding world and how they were going to help him do it. Hermione knew this was how Hitler and Grindelwald took power - these eager minions and they willingness for a cause.

It was after midnight that Hermione decided it was time to "find" the diadem.

Cutting into Theo's chatter, she called out, "You said the diadem had a blue gem, correct? And was silvery?'

"Yes!" he answered casually, still shuffling through things, not noticing anything strange about her inquiry.

"Because, Theo..." She turned with a put-on smile, holding up the Horcrux. "I think I've found it."

Theo looked at the item in her hand and his jaw dropped. He sprinted, leaping over trunks and swerving around shelves to reach her and look at it closer with awe. "Where'd you find it?"

"Just there," she said, pointing to the case where she had first found it in her Fourth Year. She was still grinning excitedly even though she felt sick at handing the Horcrux back up to the enemy. "On the shelf in the box. So, is this it?"

"Oh, it definitely is," he said with glee. He reached out for it, but she yanked it away.

"Not quite yet, Nott," she said evenly. "I'll be holding onto this. I will be the one to return it to the Dark Lord. Not you, not Bellatrix, and not Lucius. Me. I'm the one who found it after all."

Theo's excitement fell from his face into a frown. "You're still a strange to them. I'm trusted. They won't just let you in to see the Dark Lord."

"I think the will," Hermione said confidently, looking at the diadem as if for the first time. "Something tells me this is very important and if I want to give it to the Dark Lord myself then I don't think that would be so difficult to arrange, correct?"

Theo scowled. "That sounds an awful lot like blackmail. No one blackmails the Dark Lord."

"And I'm not," Hermone explained. "I just want to credit I deserve. I'm sure you understand."

Theodore Nott sneered. Obviously he had been hoping to soak up the credit for this, and she just wasn't going to let it happen so he said, "Fine. I will signal Bellatrix and Lucius. But you will only speak when spoken to and follow my lead, understood?"

Hermione nodded.

Theo walked to the Vanishing Cabinet and opened the door. He took a marble sphere off a shelf and threw it in, quickly shutting the door before it could hit the back of the wardrobe. There was no thunk. It was as if the sphere had disappeared...and it had.

They waited for ten minutes before there was noise inside the Cabinet. The door flew open to reveal two people.

One was Bellatrix Lestrange, looking as crazy as ever, her wild black hair framing her face.

But the other Hermione knew right away as well, but it was weird to look at him. Young Lucius Malfoy looked so much like Draco that Hermione nearly laughed. His hair was longer than Draco ever let it get, yes, but his face and his stature was very much the same. Hermione knew she had to be careful to not accidentall call him by his unborn son's name if she was going to spend time in the Death Eater ranks.

"You've found it?" Bellatrix hissed eagerly to Nott.

"Actually, I did," Hermione jumped in. Nott sent her a harsh look for already breaking one of the rules he set, but she kept her chin high.

Lucius and Bellatrix looked over to Hermione for the first time, each of them looking her up and down slowly. Lucius remained expressionless, but Bellatrix's look was scathing.

"If it isn't my baby cousin," she said darkly. "When Nott said that you showed interest in our cause, I admit I didn't believe him. You are engaged to ickle Sirius, our family's blood traitor in the making."

"I plan to change that," Hermione said calmly.

Bellatrix cackled. "Change Sirius? Good luck. You have the same chance at changing Sirius as I do at changing my sister. Or haven't you heard? Baby Andromeda is a bloody blood traitor! Or haven't you received an invitation to her mudblood wedding?"

Hermione just stared.

"Then again, you have been at school," Bellatrix purred, still glowering. "Walburga probably wants to keep such a disgrace away from her precious children. Doesn't want you and the boys knowing your cousin's been stricken from the family tree."

"Just because your sister wants to go and marry a mudblood," Hermione said, trying to be convincing - the word felt like acid on her tongue - "doesn't mean that my fiancee is as stupid or traitorous. He may be...liberal for now, but that will change. Now if you do not mind, cousin, I have something that the Dark Lord seems to be very eager about getting back." She held up the diadem.

"I must say, Bellatrix," Lucius intoned, "she does remind me quite a bit of you."

Hermione wanted to vomit - but hid it - and Bellatrix sneered. "She's adopted, you fool."

"Not physically," Lucius amended, "but...in spirit. I think we should let her do as she pleases."

Bellatrix gawked. "You want _her_... to return it to our master..._tonight_?"

"He did say he wanted to bring the person who found the item straight to him," Lucius said slowly. "And while that person is, regrettably, _not_ Mr. Nott, then I say we respect his wishes still."

And he said it with such finality no one dared say anything in response.

...~oOo~...

Malfoy Manor was just as Hermione remembered it. Large, cavernous, cold, and dark. The ballroom was a place Hermione still associated with excruciating pain and death, but as she entered the room and saw the man sitting in a seat far across the floor she forgot everything she ever knew about the room or anything and could only think about him.

She did not know why, but in Hermione's mind she was still imagining him as the hairless, nose-less, hissing half-man that she knew with the glowing red eyes. Now she felt stupid for thinking he'd be the same because Voldemort was still completely human in this timeline.

The realization was very unsettling. It was easy to think of a monster killing innocents and trying to take over the world - it different to think of them as human.

Voldemort was a tall, lean man with brushed back dark hair and eyes so dark it looked like the iris swallowed the pupil. His skin was pale and his mouth was set in a mocking little smile. He wasn't handsome and he wasn't ugly, but he had a strong jaw and he had dark circles under his eyes that didn't make him look tired, but dangerous.

"I hear I have someone to thank for the retrieval of my diadem," Voldemort intoned.

Bellatrix and Lucius stopped several yard away and bowed. Nott and Hermione followed in their steps and did the same.

"My cousin, my lord," Bellatrix said, still bowing and gesturing to Hermione. They all remained keeping their heads down in respect. "She is the one Nott was telling us all about."

"Indeed," Voldemort said, sounding mildly amused. "The fan girl. Please, rise. I want to see all of your faces."

They obeyed.

"Ahh..." Voldemort said, standing from his arm chair and strolling forward slowly. With each step closer, Hermione felt the temperature drop.

Tom Riddle radiated something very Dark. It was more than just power, it was something far more ancient, and it was something worse than evil. Hermione almost choked on the atmosphere he engulfed them all in with his presence.

"A plain girl," the Dark Lord observed. He wore a simple set of trousers, tailored shirt, and unbuttoned vest. Hermione's calculations placed him in his fifties, he barely looked a day over thirty. Hermione knew of the physical altercations of creating Horcruxes - like his future serpent-like qualities or his currently black eyes - but never imagined they could actually halt growth. In a sick way, it made sense.

"But I hear she is...intelligent?" Voldemort directed the question to Nott.

"Top of our class, my lord," Theodore confirmed. "Smarter than most of the teachers."

"Hmm..." Voldemort mused. "Is that true Bellatrix?"

"All my aunt ever says about her," the crazy woman said with a slight amount of disgust, "is that she has perfect marks in everything."

Voldemort considered this and held out his hand. Hermione placed the diadem carefully in his palm. His hand curled around it and his smiled again. "You could certainly be an asset. You come from a noble family - even if not by blood. You are pure, though, and that is good enough. Your friend Nott has vouched for you at meetings and I've spoken to other sources about you. You would be a valuable addition to my Knights. But I am hesitant to bring you in completely."

Voldemort strolled away back towards his chair, leaving the chill of his aura behind. "For now I will ask you to look after a pair of classmates of yours who have been proving their worth. Perhaps you could guide them, befriend them, and watch them."

"Of course, my lord," Hermione answered automatically.

"Their names are Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew, my girl," Voldemort said. "And also, I would like to meet with you again, a more personal visit. I trust Sunday evening will suffice?"

The first thought Hermione had was, _That's the full moon! _but she pushed it away and answered without hesitation, "Yes, master."

"Come through the cabinet around ten," he said. "You are all dismissed. And Hermione...I look forward to getting acquainted with you."

Hermione nodded, but certainly could not say the same without throwing up.

...~oOo~...

It was a beautiful day, the first real day of spring. It was so nice out Hermione almost didn't believe that her night before in Malfoy Manor ever truly happened. She couldn't sleep because she felt so rotten, but now it was almost like a bad dream.

Hermione and Remus were studying by the lake and Sirius and James were pretending to study but were really drawing naughty comics and showing one another, exchanging giggles. She noticed that every once in a while her and Remus's knees would brush and she'd have to suppress a smile, but nothing could stop the blush from blooming on her cheeks.

"Hermione, are you alright?" James asked. "Your face is all red."

Her face got redder, but she said, "It must be the change of weather. I'm not used to the warmth yet."

"Should we go inside?" Remus asked.

She shook her head hard and looked away, down at her book. "I'll be fine. I'll jut take off my robe." Hermione shifted out of her long black cloak and set it on the bench next to her. "See? Better."

"You have something, right here," Remus said, pointing to his own hair.

Subconsciously, Hermione touched her frizzy mass of curls.

"Here," Remus said, "I'll get it." He reached out and plucked whatever it was, a piece of grass, from her hair and she blushed again at the contact.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sirius asked. "You're all red again."

"I'm fine," she said firmly. Then she saw the book that was in front of James. "James, what is that?"

"A naughty comic," he said as if it was obvious, holding up the picture.

"No, the book," she said, pointing at the text book.

"Oh, this?" James said with a mischievous smile. "It's Snivellus's potions text book. I pinched it from him in class. It has all these weird notations and made-up charms. And get this, some of them actually work."

Hermione gave him a hard glare. "You should give that back, James. You bully Snape too much."

"I don't bully him enough," James said with a grin. It was times like these that Hermione was shocked at how much James could look like Harry but be so different. "As a matter of fact." He stood up off the grass. "I think I see Snivellus himself over there by that tree sitting all alone. Perhaps, Padfoot, we should go offer up some friendly company."

"I couldn't agree more, Prongs," Sirius said, leaping up and following after eagerly. "Come along, Moony!" he called out as he and James jogged over towards the big tree by the Lake.

Remus gathered up his books and stood slowly.

"You're not going to follow them, are you?" Hermione asked.

Remus shrugged. "Yes, I am. They're my friends. If they want to harass Snape, then so be it. I can't control them." He started after the other boys and Hermione was quick after. She had to regulate the situation.

"Oh, Snivellus!" Sirius sang out.

Severus Snape looked up from the book he was reading with a half-sneer half-frown. He knew what was coming and it was very clear on his face. He was bracing himself for whatever blows his two tormentors had in store.

"Isn't it just a lovely day?" Prongs said animatedly, working up to something. Students enjoying the sunny day were looking on now, knowing something entertaining would happen now that James Potter was around. "Whiskers was just saying how warm it is! But Snivellus, you're wearing all your robes, why is that?"

"I think we should help him get more comfortable, don't you, James?" Sirius said, crossing his arms with an evil grin.

"I couldn't have put it better myself!" James said with a broad smile. He took out his wand, uttered an incantation and Severus was suddenly flipped into the air, upside down.

Bystanders laughed as Severus's robes fell and revealed a pair of grayish underwear and skinny, knobby legs covered in dark hair. Severus was wigging and scowling and cursing.

"You let me down, Potter!" Severus shouted, looking murderous.

"Yes, let him down!" another voice interceded. They all turned to the source. Lily Evans, her hair glowing like a fire in the sun, and her green eyes blazing with ire. "Now, Potter!"

"Good day, Evans!" James said with a big smile. "You're looking beautiful as ever! Maybe I'll let him down if you agree to go on a date with me, yeah?"

"I'd rather be drowned by mermaids," Lily said with conviction, "than go on a date with you."

While Hermione had a certain amount of dislike towards Lily that was born from their competitive spirits in classes and in exam scores, Hermione couldn't help but smile at her temper in that moment.

Even Sirius let out a bark of a laugh at that.

"That's too bad," James said, sounding less gleeful. He turned to Snape. "Your girlfriend won't even bail you out of this one, mate! How does that make you feel?"

"I don't need a mudblood like her bailing me out of anything, Potter!" Severus burst out.

The crowds watching then out an ominous, "_oooh_". No one called Lily Evans a mudblood, ever. She was too smart and too pretty to be picked on for blood status.

Lily froze and her glare darkened ever more. She sneered at her friend - not ex-friend - Snape and then James and pushed her way through the crowd, tears rolling down her face.

"You made Evans cry!" James said angrily. "You'll pay for that, Snivellus! How would everyone like to see ickle Snivelly's pants come off?"

"YOU STOP IT THIS INSTANCE, JAMES POTTER!" Hermione screamed, shoving James aside harshly right into Sirius. Both boys stumbled and Hermione whipped out her wand to levitate Snape back to the ground. "You absolutely disgust me!" she shouted at her friend in the glasses. "As do you!" she admonished Sirius. "And you!" She pointed to Remus. "You are no better! You get them both inside and into their rooms!"

Hermione turned to the crowd that had gathered. "Every last one of you sicken me! Leave! Now!"

They all quickly scampered away, as did her Marauders, although they dispersed slower. They were staring at her with a mixture of horror and hurt. They walked away, though, as she ordered.

Everyone was gone and Hermione turned back to Snape.

"You stupid witch!" Snape growled. "How dare you! I didn't need your bloody help!"

"From my standpoint," she said, "I saw otherwise. A simple thank you will do."

"Why should I thank you! You're always hanging around them like their pet or something," he hissed, standing from the ground, his dark eyes glaring down the length of his nose at her. "You're no better than them."

"Did I not just save you from mooning the entire school against your will?" she inquired icily.

"You may think you're the only one with friends, but you're wrong," Snape snapped back.

"I didn't see Avery or Mulciber coming to your rescue," Hermione reported grimly. "And they were standing right in the crowd."

Snape hesitated ever so slightly, but still glared. "I'm still not going to thank you."

"I honestly didn't think that you would."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. What do you think Voldemort wants to meet Hermione about on Sunday night? 2. How do you think she's going to explain to the boys about missing the full moon? 3. Hermione has officially given up a Horcrux, what now?4. Favorite part and favorite line? 5. Poor Snape *frowns* (not an actual question)

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	15. Trapped

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifteen: Trapped

"Alice," Hermione said before Potions began with a gentle smile, "I hear Frank's partner had a bad run-in with a hinkypunk last weekend at Hogsmeade. You should go offer to be his partner." She nudged her friend encouragingly.

Blushing, the round-faced Alice giggled and said, "I don't know, 'Mione...who are you going to work with?"

"I'll do fine on my own, I promise." Hermione gave a wink and gestured for her to move along. "Go on! Before he snags up Remus for help. You know how boys are."

"Alright," Alice said and scurried over across the room to where Frank Longbottom was looking particularly flummoxed and scatterbrained. Hermione watched as Alice bashfully tapped him on the shoulder and he almost jumped right of his trousers with surprise. She said something to him, Hermione couldn't see exactly what because her back was to her, but Frank automatically looked grateful and grinned goofily. Alice took the seat next to him and tilted her head just enough to send Hermione a giddy little smile and wave.

Hermione looked over across the room to where the Marauder boys were all sitting. It was friday, two days before Remus's change and he looked absolutely miserable. He looked extremely distracted and was scratching his arm furiously. He knew that after the moon was worse, but he looked terribly out of it and seeing him so out of sorts tugged on something sadly in Hermione's chest.

James and Sirius were goofing off as usual. Avery, a Slytherin, was sitting a couple tables away and Sirius was fooling with him by discreetly levitating his homework behind the boy's head as he frantically looked for it everywhere. James was sniggering and Sirius was wearing that stupid grin.

With a scowl, Hermione flicked her wand and neutralized the charm, making Avery's homework land on his head. The boys looked confused and was looking around angrily for the culprit while Sirius sent me a you're-such-a-spoilsport look.

Then out of nowhere there was someone dropping down into the spare seat beside Hermione. She turned and was shocked to find long, greasy locks and a prominent nose.

"Snape..." she said slowly. "What are you...doing?"

"You need a partner, don't you?" he asked snidely.

"Um...'need' isn't the word I'd use," she answered, nonplussed. "I do well on my own."

"Yes, but you'll do brilliantly with me," Snape continued, setting his things atop the desk and arranging his things in a particular oder. "Potions are sort of my...thing."

Hermione wanted to smile at that. This she knew well. "But why me? Don't you have a partner already? Mulciber, right?"

"He's in the Hospital Wing," Snape said with a sneer. "Your brother tripped him down a staircase while it was moving and he fell right off the end."

"Merlin!" Hermione said, stunned.

"Don't look so surprised. It's typical, isn't it? Anyway, I needed to partner with someone who could pull their own weight," Snape said, not looking pleased. "It gets annoying when I end up doing all the work."

"I can understand that," Hermione said, nodding. "Being used for your genius can get boring."

"Indeed," Snape sulked.

"And, of course," Hermione added with a knowing grin, "there is always advantage that sitting next to me is a free pass from hexing. My brother and James wouldn't dare try anything with me right here."

"I hadn't thought of that," Snape lied smoothly.

Hermione smiled.

"Don't smirk at me like that," Snape sneered.

"Whatever you say, potion master."

"Shut it, you stupid Gryffindor."

Hermione chuckled.

...

"Holy shite, Prongs," Sirius gawked from across the room. "Is she bloody giggling? No way is my sister giggling at anything Snivellus could say. It just isn't possible."

"She's grinning quite a bit," James observed, his face curling in disgust. "Do you think...I mean, it couldn't be...Are they _flirting_?"

"Snivellus doesn't flirt," Sirius fumed. "He skulks. And Hermione is far too smart to fancy him. Maybe she's been inhaling too many ashwinder fumes. What do you think, Moony?"

Remus was having a hard time thinking straight. While he was currently taking in every movement of every student in the room, he was almost wholly locked in on Hermione. The Wolf side of him was howling. His Wolf had laid an invisible claim on her already that Remus was actively trying to fight off. The animalistic possessiveness the Wolf was scratching at made Remus sick. It was too barbaric, even for a werewolf.

_I have no rights to Hermione, _Remus recited internally again and again. _She doesn't even know how I feel - and she never will. It's too dangerous. _

But seeing her smiling at Snape was too much. If he had to spend the entire class smelling the Slytherin's scent mingling with Hermione's in the air, he was going to lose it. Abruptly Remus stood from his seat and collected his things.

"I'll see you guys at dinner," he mumbled. "Sirius...ask Hermione to take notes for me."

"I'll do it," Sirius said, obviously not wanting to talk with his sister.

"You're notes are awful and James's handwriting is illegible," Remus grumbled. "Just ask her to do it, send her a note, whatever." And he walked quickly out of the classroom.

James and Sirius stared at one another for a long moment.

"I'm not going to ask her," Sirius said.

"Neither am I, mate!" James exclaimed. "She's your sister!"

"Yeah, but she's pissed at me!"

"She's even more pissed at me!" James shot back. "Anyway, the second you say it's for Remus you know she'll immediately agree to it."

"Why?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

"You know how they are," James said. "Something about them just...clicks."

This phrase sounded very familiar to Sirius and he realized that he'd been saying the same on their very first night at school that year in their dorm when Remus was trying to get Sirius to admit he had a secret someone he fancied. It was true. There was just something about the duo, Remus and Hermione, that fell together perfectly like a poem. They had a pattern, they ran smoothly and gracefully, and rhymed.

That's when Sirius came to the realization that Remus and Hermione were heartbreakingly perfect for one another. And it hurt. Badly.

...~oOo~...

When Hermione stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet on Sunday evening, she was in the worst mood of her life. She had tried to explain to Remus that she couldn't make it to the full moon and his reaction had made her want to cry. He merely nodded solemnly, didn't say a word, but the sadness and almost-fear in his eyes was soul deep.

_"Are you sure you can't make it?" Remus asked quietly, looking at the floor. "You can always copy my essay, you know. Sprout never notices that sort of thing."_

_Little did he knew her Herbology essay was already done and ready to go. She ached to tell him the truth, but she couldn't. Hermione swallowed and shook her head softly. "That wouldn't be fair to you. You'll be fine, Remus. You have James and Sirius."_

_His frown deepened and Hermione wanted so badly to reach out and touch his face and hold him close to comfort him. He was obviously scared. Scared of a full moon without Whiskers and her chest hurt for it. _

_"Please, 'Mione," he begged scratchily. "I need you."_

_The stinging came and her eyes were quick to water and the library around them became blurry. "I'm so sorry, Remus, but I just...can't."_

_"You don't actually have an essay, do you?" he murmured. "Does this have something to do with Dumbledore and the Horcruxes?"_

_Hermione hesitated. "Sort of. I am so sorry, Remus."_

_"It's okay," he said softly, his voice barely a breath. "I understand."_

_Hermione reached out to brush his cheek gently with her fingers and stretched up to plant a kiss on his forehead. "You will be safe, Moony. If I come back in time, I'll meet you all in the Forbidden Forest." _

_His last words were a raspy, "Please hurry."_

Hermione fought off the urge to cry again. Remus needed her and she couldn't be there for him. It was an awful reality and she wondered how many more times this would happen.

When Hermione stepped through the Cabinet, she expected to land back in Malfoy Manor, but this was not the case. It was a dingy old bedroom with dusty window sills and cluttered furniture.

"Welcome," a silky voice said from the corner, "to my...humble abode. What do you think?" Voldemort gestured broadly at their surroundings. He was lounging lazily in an arm chair in the corner of the room. His tie was loosened and the rims beneath his eyes were dark.

Hermione looked around but only said, "It is...nice."

Voldemort gave a small snort. "You are too kind. It's quite awful, isn't it?"

"I suppose." She looked up at a large, dripping crack in the ceiling.

"My childhood home," he said, standing from his seat gracefully, the old springs of the cushion protesting. "A miserable place to have memories of. Sick to think I preferred an orphanage."

Hermione said nothing.

"I must admit, Miss Black," Voldemort said slowly, making his way across the room casually, "the information I've collected on you is most curious." The black hair that he'd had pushed back the last they met was tousled and falling to his forehead.

"Is it?" Hermione said. She was surprised to hear her words remain even.

"Yes," he confirmed, musingly. "There is no record of your existence before three years ago. Claims of having your memories stolen and then promptly adopted by the Blacks. Interesting."

Hermione discreetly swallowed. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. The gig was up. He knew everything.

"It's a common enough occurrence, granted," Voldemort continued, sounding thoughtful. "With my Knights' attacks on certain towns and families, I usually leave orders to Obliviate spares in they cannot be killed. So I suppose you could be a victim...or you could be a liar. Are you a liar, Miss Black?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, sir. I'm not."

A sly smile came onto his face. "It doesn't matter to me, honestly. I could care less. I care about loyalty and blood purity. Knowing the Blacks they would never accept you as one of their own without the belief you're blood is untainted and you've proven to be loyal."

"How so, sir?"

"I heard about your little stunt with Snape," he said slowly. "Defending him against people you see as family. I'd given you orders to look after him less than 24 hours before and you were already turning your back on your brother to carry out my wishes. And only Friday you and Snape were together in class. You've taken to your orders swiftly and effectively. I have no doubt you'll reach out to Pettigrew in the same way you did Snape."

Hermione's insides were shuddering and she wanted to scowl at Peter's name, but she just nodded.

"Good girl," he purred reaching out and patting her head.

It was the first time the Dark Lord touched her and it sent a rippling nausea from the peak of her head down to her toes. Like being struck by lightning, only worse. She took a breath and said, "Thank you, master."

"I have some more orders for you, Miss Black...Hermione. May I call you Hermione?"

"Of course, master."

"Mmm," he hummed in satisfaction. The sound make Hermione's bones quake. "Hermione. Your next set of orders is to watch your brother, Remus Lupin, and James Potter very closely. While I expect you to maintain a connection with Snape and Pettigrew, I want you to stay in your little group with the Gryffindors as much as before. Dumbledore has plans, I know it, and they will no doubt involve his favorite little lion cubs - Potter and Sirius, obviously. Continue your engagement with your brother and keep tabs on him. The moment you see him sneaking off for any type of secret meetings, I want you to alert me immediately. Do you understand?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, my lord."

In a calculating pause, Voldemort observed Hermione closely. Casually he reached out and took her chin in his hand. His long fingers were cool and soft.

"You know," he said, sounding mildly interested, "you're not as plain as I originally thought. Quite pretty, actually."

Hermione's stomach did a harsh twist and she swallowed again. "Thank you, my lord."

He dropped his hand and gave a small smile. "Congratulations, Hermione Black. You are officially a Knight of Walburgis. I trust you will make me proud."

...~oOo~...

The crashing and shrieking was ear-bleedingly loud as Hermione packed her things hastily. It was the end of June, Hermione and Sirius had been home from school for all of two weeks and everything had gone to hell.

Sirius had made the bold move of declaring his opinions of blood status and Walburga had gone mad. Hermione had sat by and listened, knowing this all was bound to happen, and there she was getting together all her books and clothes while the tell-tale rattling of the house announced that her place on the Black family tree was officially blasted off along with her brother's.

When Sirius was announcing that he was a muggle-loving wizard, Hermione went right along and agreed, right to their mother's face.

Regulus swooped into her room while their mother roared below.

"You traitor!" he growled. "The Dark Lord will have your life for being a blood traitor and a spy!"

"Don't be stupid," she sneered, closing her trunk with calm finality. "You know my orders. Watch Sirius, James and Remus. I can't very well do that when they think I'm a blood supremacist, now can I? They'd write me off!"

Regulus paused. "So...you were faking it, then? When you said muggles and mudbloods were wonderful, and all that?"

"Of course I was!" Hermione said, putting on an insulted air. "You would dare doubt my loyalty? Who is the reason you were accepted into the Dark Lord's ranks in the first place?"

Regulus's scowl lightened and all that was left was the coldness he always had on him. "Where will you and Sirius go? How will you get out for meetings?"

"I imagine we'll go to the Potters'. And I'll find a way to sneak out, you know I will," Hermione told him with the cool confidence she'd learned to keep on over the past few months. "Watch Hugo for me and have him send me dates and times for meetings." Hermione stroked the black bird on her shoulder lovingly before removing him and handing it him over to her younger brother. "Inform Snape of what's happened and give him this."

Hermione quickly scrawled a single word on a piece of parchment and put a few charms on it before handing it folded to Regulus. "If anyone but Severus opens this note," she said severely, "an awful curse will be put on the person. Do you understand?"

Regulus gave a nod and tucked the paper away. She knew the only reason he obeyed was because he'd been given direct orders from Voldemort to be at Hermione's bidding and do as she said. She was assigned to be something of a mentor to her brother and he was fulfilling his duties well, but reluctantly. Nothing was worse than having to be at his big sister's mercy.

Sirius busted into the room then and Regulus automatically put on a furious, disgusted act - which really wasn't all that false - and hissed, "Blood traitors, the both of you. Absolute disgraces to the ancient and noble house of Black." He marched out, pushing past his older brother roughly.

"We should go now," Sirius said, looking bright-eyed and energized. "Before mum takes it out on you and I instead of just our pictures."

Hermione smiled at her brother and nodded. He held out his hand and she readily clasped it in hers as they carried their trunks and a shared bag as they walked out the front door of 12 Grimauld Place. Hermione only looked back one and it was when they hit the pavement.

The last vision she had of her adopted home was of Orion Black, looking dark and calm, standing in the doorway. The man did not even blink as he let the door swing shut, cutting out his son and daughter for good.

"Come on, 'Mione," Sirius said, tugging her hand to move faster, sounding exhilarated. "We're finally free of the old hag! Isn't it great!"

Hermione imagined that Sirius must have felt wonderful - liberated, free. She wished she could feel the same, but she could not. Not when she was still trapped, and not by someone as mild in comparison as Walburga Black.

Hermione was still sealed inside of a cement box crawling with snakes with no way out and a limited amount of oxygen.

And her lungs burned as she tried hardest to hold her breath.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Predictions? 3. Team Sirius or Team Remus? 4. What roles will Hermione be playing, you think, within the Death Eater ranks in the near future?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	16. Suffocating

A/N. HULLO! HERE'S A CHAPTER FOR ALL OF YOU!

Baby Update: I'm officially fat. It's amazing.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter 16: Suffocating

It was a cloudy tuesday in August. Hermione and Sirius had taken up "temporary" residency at the Potters' while Hermione already began looking for flats to rent in less than a year when they were of age. Sirius was perfectly content with living in the same house as James forever - an arrangement that was already proving to be a disaster.

Only the day before James and Sirius were riding their brooms in the house and broke the liquor cabinet, much to Mr. Potter's dismay. The man didn't drink often, but they had shattered an unopened bottle of aged whiskey and Mrs. Potter had been hacked off about her wine. "How am I supposed to tolerate you now!" she'd hollered, only half-seriously. Truth was that both adults adored having two more kids in the house.

And having Hermione's neat and organized presence sort of balanced out the two boys' sloppiness.

On this tuesday Hermione was already out of bed and sitting at the dining room table with a copy of the Prophet and a bowl of porridge in her pajamas. Dorea Potter was making tea and frying up eggs for when the boys came down - all of them were sleeping, of course, including her husband. Old Charlus Potter enjoyed his sleep almost as much as he enjoyed doodling mustaches and horns on the pictures of Rita Skeeter in the Prophet.

There was a knock on the door and Dorea said, "Would you mind getting that for me, dear?"

"Not at all," Hermione said with a smile, standing up and scurrying to the front door. Hermione opened the door and couldn't hide her surprise to find Remus.

In only a few months since school ended, Remus had gained another inch and was looking even more like the man Hermione knew in the future. Older than the rest of them, it felt like a short distance from seventeen for Remus. His sandy hair was getting shaggy and Hermione realized he must have been shaving for quite some time because a bristly five o'clock shadow was gracing his jaw and upperlip. No longer was he a boy.

"Good morning," he said with a smirk, taking in her appearance. Hermione was wearing flannel pajama trousers and one of Sirius's ragged old black t-shirts that hung heavy and loose on her, one of her shoulders poking out of the stretched neckline. "You look stunning." His eyes glittered with teasing.

She gave him a mock scowl and said, "And you look like a hobo. Perhaps I should offer you shaving cream and a razor in lieu of tea, yes?"

"Ha ha," he drawled sarcastically. Each of them chuckled and he enterred the house. He wore a long-sleeved white t-shirt with a hole in the elbow and dark blue denim pants. "Where is everyone? It's awfully quiet for a home now housing both James Potter and Sirius Black."

"Fear not," Hermione said. "The peace you are currently experiencing is a novelty. The boys are asleep."

"I came at a good time then," Remus chuckled. "The world is always at its safest when those two are sleeping. Funny that James asked me over so early, though, if he was going to be dead to the world."

"Ah," Hermione said in realization. "Now I understand why he asked me to wake him up this morning. I didn't know he had something planned, I just figured he wanted to give me a hard time. Come into the dining room, breakfast is ready."

"Remus!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed with s big smile. Her round face was flushed from the heat of the kitchen and her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled up into a messy knot on her head. "Oh, darling, how have you been?" She put down a large plate of eggs and sausage on the table with a fork and knife.

"The usual," Remus said with a friendly smile and shrug. He took the seat next to Hermione and absently rolled up his sleeves, revealing long scores of raw skin.

The Lupin family lived quite far away, making it difficult for the Marauders to all get together for the full moon. Which meant Remus was alone, resulting in Moony taking it out on himself. Once Hermione saw the deep nail marks she took in the rest of him and noticed just barely a dark spot peeking out of his sandy bangs at his temple.

Mrs. Potter had returned to the kitchen by the time Hermione saw the bruise and hastily reached over to brush aside his hair and hold his face firmly in her hands.

"Oh, Remus," she whispered, seeing the rather large black, blue, and green spot blooming on his temple like Moony'd been ramming himself into something hard. "I told you if you wanted me to come out for the moon -"

"It's too far," he dismissed simply, trying to pull his face away, but her hand was curled around his chin tight - not tight enough to hurt, but enough to prevent him from yanking away. "Stop worrying, Hermione."

"I'll never stop worrying," she said quietly. She stretched up and pressed her lips with a feather lightness to the bruise. Remus closed his eyes, mostly to gather his senses so he didn't turn his head and take her mouth with his. The brush of her lips was too tempting, even when it was simply friendly.

Just then a thumping sounds of two sets of feet rang around the house, signally the awakening of the two boys.

Mrs. Potter came into the dining room and sighed, holding two plates. "Brace yourselves," she warned good-naturedly.

Hermione dropped her hands from Remus's face into her lap and sighed. Her fingertips tingled and she had to mentally remind herself not to reach out for him away. The urge to do so was too strong.

"You!" James bursted in, pointing accusingly at Hermione. "You were supposed to wake me up!" He looked rather frantic liked he'd woken and noticed the time and panicked. He was still only wearing boxers and...well, that was it. Boxers. The rest of James Potter was completely naked. He hadn't even put on his glasses yet.

Hermione had to admit, the boy had gotten fit. All the Quidditch exercise was goo for the once-scrawny boy and now-toned half-man. She had half because he still had the mentality of a five-year-old.

Following close behind was Sirius. He was wearing only slightly more, with drawstring shorts and a thin white beater. Seeing the two boys side by side and with Remus next to her Hermione was very impressed. Each of them was in-shape, long and lean, and heartbreakingly handsome - every last one, each in a different way.

James's hair was quite the sight, though. Like he'd just been electrocuted.

"Excuse me for the being desperate for a few more minutes of regular blood pressure before the both of you got up," Hermione said, sending James a light grimace. "You would have had the kitchen in shambles before any of us had the chance to get some tea."

Sirius looked like half of him was still tucked under his blankets in dreamworld. His hard shoulders were slumped and his hair was a mess, and he was rubbing his eyes sleepily and yawning. He took the chair on the opposite of Remus beside Hermione and practically threw himself down into it, immediately leaning over and snuggling right into Hermione's side. He was mumbling about boggarts and something about "please, Mum, don't make me eat the ogre's shoe..." He burrowed deep into Hermione's hair and stayed there. His body was ridiculously warm and his mouth was partly open, releasing drool onto her shoulder.

Hermione studiously ignored her brother and turned back to Remus, who was looked distant.

"Now I feel like a bad host, Hermione," James said, theatrically annoyed. "The lazy bum who invites his friends over but doesn't have the sense to be awake when they arrive. Remus, I must apologize for mine - and Sirius's - behavior. But above all for Hermione's - I mean, you'd think she'd know better."

"You watch your mouth, James Potter," Mrs. Potter said, whacking her son on the back of his head. "Hermione has thrice as much sense as you and Sirius combined. I must have done something wretched in a past life to get you instead of a daughter."

"_Mummy_..." James whimpered, looking like a kicked puppy dog.

"Bloody baby..." Sirius murmured under Hermione's hair.

"You know I love you darling," Mrs. Potter said indulgently. "But I'm just grateful for a woman in the house. It gets tiring between you and your father."

"I understand your pain, Mrs. Potter," Hermione said with a smile. "The overload of testosterone constantly floating in the air is overbearing. It's a shame the only female friend I have is Alice. She's lovely, don't get me wrong, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a large group of woman friends."

"It's not much better, dear," Mrs. Potter said with a smirk.

"I suppose that is true," Hermione mused, nodding. "Girls get vicious."

"If you want a friend who's a girl," James quickly inserted into the conversation, "you could always try befriending Evans!"

"No," Hermione automatically refuted. "I do not like her."

James pouted. "Why not?"

Hermione let out a sigh. Ever since she first came to the school and it became obvious she was well beyond her years, she received constant dirty looks from Lily Evans. Hermione never said a bad word towards the girl, and yet she once heard Lily gossiping about Hermione to her other friends, calling Hermione a swot, a know-it-all and - the worst - a slag.

"_There has to be a reason for her cleaving to the best-looking boys in school_," Lily'd snipped. "_It's absolutely indecent the way she hangs on James and Remus and - good Merlin! - her own brother! Disgusting_!"

So, yes. Hermione did not like Lily Evans.

"She's rude," was all Hermione said, not wanting to say too much. If she told the whole story, James would no doubt get protective and that could very well mean erasing the future existence of Harry James Potter. "To me at least. And I don't like that. But feel free to pursue her James, she may not be that way with everyone."

"It's no wonder you two don't get along," Sirius mumbled, finally shaking himself from his sleep. "You two are so similar, of course you'd clash."

"Lily and I are not similar," Hermione said snappishly. "I don't gossip. She does. However, Remus and I are very similar and we get along just fine, don't we, Remus?"

"I guess..." Remus said slowly. "Although, you are smarter than me."

"No I am not."

"Oh, goodness, not this again," James groaned, dropping his forehead to the table with a humph.

"Such a drama queen," Sirius quipped.

"Like you weren't thinking the same!" James said. "They always do this - argue over who's the smarter one! 'No, you're the most brilliant Remus!' " He imitated Hermione in an exaggerated falsetto. " 'No, no, you are, Hermione! I am but a lowly genius, you may as well be Merlin!'

" 'Oh, stop it, Remus, you wonderful bookworm, you!' " Then James false gagged and rolled his eyes. "I can't handle such doting before I've had my tea, it gives me indigestion."

Hermione was about to make a jab but there was a loud tapping on the window. Mrs. Potter opened the latch and in flew a beautiful Black owl.

"What's Hugo doing here?" Sirius asked, looking confused. "I thought Regulus commandeered him."

Hugo landed in front of Hermione, dropping a blank envelope in front of her. She immediately had a sinking feeling in her gut and knew the nature of what it held. The letter had a physical presence in the room, giving everyone a bad feeling as they stared at Hermione.

Putting an a casual expression, she opened the letter and opened the parchment in a way so Remus or Sirius couldn't see the contents.

The print was neat and thick, signifying a heavy hand. It had three words, spaced far apart in a straight row:

**"V is calling"**

Hermione hastily folded the paper before opened the rest of it and stood. "Please excuse me, I must answer this in private." She gave a smile, hoping it would ease her friends' tension and walked out, Hugo flying close behind.

Up in her room, Hermione took a deep breath and unfolded the rest of the parchment. There was no more writing, but a moving doodle of a skull and snakes weaving through its mouth and eyes.

Regulus kept his promise and warned her.

Voldemort was beckoning.

...~oOo~...

Many were under the impression that Voldemort met with his followers exclusively at night. It had much to do with the mystery and danger of it all - the darkest time of day seemed fitting enough. But this was not so.

Voldemort called for his Death Eaters at any time of day. It was mostly to keep them on their toes. And if Regulus said that "V" was calling, without adding a time or date, he meant that their Lord was calling _now_.

Hermione quickly put on a pair of trousers and a t-shirt, yanking her hair up into a ponytail as she hastened down the steps and into the dining room.

"I am very sorry," she said as she finishing putting up her hair, "but I have to run out for a while. I'll probably be home...well, I can't be sure. No worries, though! All is well!" She gave them all a broad smile before hurrying out of the room and house before they could ask questions or follow.

No one was aware of this except Dumbledore - who was the one who checked at the Ministry - but because there was no record in this timeline of Hermione's birth, she had no Trace on her. She tried her best to respect the rules anyway and refrain from using magic outside of Hogwarts, but technically speaking she was about twenty-two years old.

Hermione flicked her wand and Apparated to a little Muggle park in Cokeworth. She jogged to a dreary house she knew fairly well and sent her Patronus in to warn her friend of her presence. She sat tucked against the side of the house, bracing herself behind the overgrown and neglected ivy and bushes.

Soon enough above her head she heard the sound of a sliding window and a hissing, "You're late! Get up here!"

Hermione looked up and saw Severus leaning out his window and waving impatiently for her to come up.

"How?" she hissed back. "I can't just flap my wings, you fool!"

He rolled his eyes and huffed, ducking back into his room. Hermione waited, fidgeting. The seconds felt like hours. Being late to a meeting with the Dark Lord could end in serious punishment.

Out of nowhere a broom dropped in front of her. It was a shabby old thing, small and obviously a training broom for younger children. She glowered at Severus more than ten feet above her. He knew how much she hated flying. Severus was wearing a sort of sadistically satisfied expression, looking amused by her reluctant mounting the broom.

A few wobbling moments later, Hermione was climbing through Severus's window.

"Why couldn't you just come down and unlock the door?" she asked.

"My mother and father were just fighting and it ended with her throwing all of his things off the top of the stairs. He's down there now, picking them all up so he can then throw all of _her _things down the stairs," he grumbled. "It's quite the process and rather entertaining in the right light. Now let's hurry up - there's a floo in the sitting room."

They were careful to be quiet as they slipped down the hall, the sound of shouting still going on below.

"Won't they be angrier when they see you've gone?" Hermione asked as they closed the door to the sitting room behind them.

It was a small, shabby room with a threadbare sofa and lined with old books. The window poured in light and highlight the dust motes.

"They never notice when I'm gone," Severus said simply, holding out a dish of Floo Powder to her.

Hermione frowned, feeling a pang of sadness for her sort-of friend. She was quick to learn that Eileen and Tobias Snape were not the most caring of parents. They often fought and paid little attention to their son. It didn't even seem as if they noticed they had a son most of the time.

Over the past several months, Hermione often came to Severus's house after late meetings. He'd give her his bed and he'd sleep on the rug. Mostly she needed the time to recover - physically and mentally. And Severus didn't judge or prod because he knew what she was going through. If she went home to Sirius in the state she was sometimes in after a night with the rest of the Death Eaters...well. There'd be no way of wiggling her way out of that situation. Sirius would go ballistic.

They went through the floor and a few moments later they were in the Malfoy living area.

"You are late!" Bellatrix sang gleefully, obviously having been waiting for their arrival. "Come along, children! The Dark Lord is _waiting_!" Cackling and skipping, the insane woman led them to the dining area where everyone was seated around a table.

There were two empty seats and it was obvious whom they belonged to. One was between Pettigrew and Avery. That was meant for Snape. And then there was one at the head of the table, directly to the left of Voldemort himself. On her other side was Lucius Malfoy.

In the same way she was a "mentor" to Pettigrew and Snape, Lucius was a mentor for Hermione. Oftentimes he'd pull her aside after a meeting and drill her, dueling her ruthlessly, no holds barred. She'd narrowly missed a green flash more than once. And Lucius did it all with a cool expression - the same type of indifference one would show while talking about a boring topic while drinking tea.

Alastor Moody's lessons were kitten play in comparison to lessons with Lucius Malfoy. He was more than teacher, though. Many a time he was disciplinarian. When Hermione did something wrong - something tiny that Voldemort simply didn't have the time to punish her for - Lucius was right there, taking her by the back of her hair and dragging her to the nearest room to berate and hex her.

"I am so happy," Voldemort said emotionlessly, "that two of my most promising followers have decided to arrive."

Lucius sent Hermione a wrathful look that meant "you just wait until this meeting is over".

Hermione took her seat quickly and already felt the sore spot at the back of her scalp that would be tugged harshly on come the end of the rendezvous.

"This is not a particularly...hands-on meeting," Voldemort continued smoothly, referring to how a lot of time when he called for them it was meant for training or an attack. "I actually have some good news and mean to put the spotlight on one of our young friends. I must admit, I feel exceptionally...proud." He reached into his suit jacket and slid out an opened envelope with the Hogwarts seal on it and scrawled on it was Hermione's name.

Hermione's heart jumped. She knew immediately what it was. A week before all the boys had received their exam scores and she'd been tearing her hair out with worry that something had gone terribly wrong when hers were absent.

"I intercepted the path of this particular envelope not long ago," Voldemort explained, "and its contents are impressive to say in the least. Our own Miss Hermione Black's exams scores." He held up the parchment for all to see. "In every subject she received a flawless, perfect score."

There was silence. While the words were read congratulatory, his tone revealed little. He spoke with a cool detachment. not any of his usual slight amusement. Something was...off.

"Hermione is a mere sixteen years old and she surpasses many of you in terms of intelligence," the Dark Lord went on, folding the paper and tucking it back into his jacket. "There is so much more to what we do than simply taking action - and Hermione should be an example for all of you because she knows this. She is dedicated to everything. She is determined." This is when Voldemort rose from his chair to begin strolling around the table.

"A determination," he went on, "that I see lacking in many of you. The adults, that is. Our younger Knights are known for their passion and drive. But a lot of you seem to remain as islands when we are a country, a force that relies on one another. Without the people sitting left and right of you at this moment, there would be no 'us'. Hermione is dedicated to her school work, her orders, to me, and to all of you. It is a shame that many of you cannot say the same.

"And this is why before the summer dies and our lovely and intelligent Miss Hermione returns to school, she will be receiving the Dark Mark." Voldemort paused and looked to the man beside Hermione. "You've done well, Lucius."

Hermione put on a convincing smile, but her lungs were burning like a python was winding its way around her throat and coiling tight. She was suffocating.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE! (even if this chapter is kind of a filler)

Challenge: 1. (again) How do you think the Dark Mark is received? 2. Favorite part and favorite line? 3. Give an honest, detailed review of what you think about this story and what you want to see happen.

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	17. Of Honor

A/N. Alright, so this is gonna be a pretty important author's note.

1. I am thinking of beginning another fanfiction. It would be Draco/Hermione and it would be a marriage law fic - but be fairly dark because Hermione is forced into a marriage with Draco and she becomes a Death Eater wife. It would not be lovey dovey, the relationship between Hermione and Draco would actually be very intense, but not of love but necessity. They'd both be struggling to survive. I don't know what it is, but I love having Hermione behind enemy lines. It would be fairly short - shorter than Prisoner. How many of you would be interested?

2. I have a SPECIAL CHALLENGE FOR ARTISTS. I kind of want to see what you artistically talented people would make the cover of The Last Marauder look like. If you want to draw something, just PM me the link of wherever you post it. I'm honestly just really curious how you would capture the story in an image.

3. I am sleepy. It's the middle of the night once again and I haven't slept well in days. I have work tomorrow and I have a trip on my only day off, so there won't be much sleepy time for me. Not that any of you care as long as I update, haha! :)

4. I realized I have an unnatural love for fanfictions with authors who only update once a year -_- I am getting seriously frustrated. If any of you know of some long, fantastic fanfictions that actually get updated and aren't awful, PM ME PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Chapter Seventeen: Of Honor

Bloody and bruised, Hermione had to drag herself through the Floo. She collapsed in front of the fireplace and the boy came out after her, bending down to prop her up. "Come on, Black," he said, pulling her arm up around his neck and putting the other around her waist. "We're almost there. Just, hold in there."

"No," Hermione rasped. "I need to...go home..."

"Not tonight, you aren't," the young man growled, but barely noticeable concern was weaved into the venom of his tone. "Just take a few steps, alright?"

Hermione tried and ended up stumbled, hitting the rug with a moan. Blood was seaping through her clothes and he knelt next to her to examine some of the damage. "Please...Severus..." she mumbled, reaching up weakly to hold onto his shoulders, mostly to make the room stop spinning. "I need...to get...home. Or...to Hogwarts..."

"Why Hogwarts?" Severus asked, worrying about her mental stability. It was very possible from what her heard that the pain of the ceremony could have sent her off the edge and if Hermione Black lost her mind from getting the Dark Mark, then there was no hope for him or Pettigrew, for that matter. "Hermione, you're not making sense. Just...come on. You need sleep. And a few potions."

"I won't make it, Severus," Hermione moaned, sinking to her back on the floor. "Can't I...sleep here?"

"No," he snapped. "You need a bed." Severus Snape looked Hermione up and down. She was, over all, a petite girl and had lost a significant amount of weight over the past few months. The skin of her face was stretched thinly over her cheekbones and her wrists were mostly bone.

Severus leaned over and tucked his arms under her frame and lift her off the floor. She weighed almost nothing and that scared him more than the blood dripping off of her. Groaning in protest, Hermione was now only half-conscious as the world moved around her and colors swirled behind her eyelids from the sudden movement.

Suddenly she was floating and Hermione really didn't like flying, even when she was half passed out. She held onto the warm flying, skinny flying device and tried not to feel every bump and sway.

Severus was grimacing. Hermione was clinging to him like he was a life raft and it wasn't that he minded at all the blood she was coating him in. It was that he really didn't want to have to explain his charity in the morning.

Hermione would no doubt use it against him, the swot.

Once in his bedroom, she carefully draped her on the bed and reluctantly began ridding her of the grimy, bloody clothes she was in. He started with her skirt because for some strange reason her felt like that was less invasive than her top. Weeks before Voldemort had advised her to dress nicely for the ceremony but not overly so because she'd be wearing ceremonial robes for at least most of the actual ritual.

Severus had no clue whether she'd ever put on any such robes because the moment she arrived, Lucius and Severus were advised to occupy themselves elsewhere in the manor. Dark Lord led her to a private room, just the two of them.

Suring the ceremony, which lasted roughly an hour, Severus tried to tug information from Lucius Malfoy about how the Dark Mark is "applied".

Lucius had only said, "It is not spoken off and for good reason. Leave it at that and rest assured you will experience it soon enough. But...perhaps 'assured' isn't quite the word."

And then Hermione emerged from the room and Severus wasn't so sure he would rest at all, ever again.

As Severus tugged off her dark green skirt he, in a flash covered her with a sheet. She wasn't wearing anything beneath, which wasn't right, he realized, because prior to the ceremony she'd been wearing pantyhose and heels. The shoes were missing and the pantyhose had disappeared.

Severus experienced a very sick feeling inside of him and allowed it to take root for only a moment before cutting it off and detaching himself from it.

This is what Death Eaters did. He was a loyal follower and to be accepted into such an exclusive sect of Voldemort's followers - the Marked ones - was an honor, no matter how harsh the process seemed to be.

Snape had been subject to many cruciatus curses during his time in the Dark Lord's followers and he'd survived that.

He began unbuttoning her blouse and brushed it aside and found a lot of blackening flesh. On her upper arms were large and thick bruises and small incisions that Severus realized with some shock were where nails had dug in deep and broken skin. As he pulled down the rest of the sleeves, the fabric stuck to her from the red stickiness but once he did he saw where the blood was marginally escaping from.

Her left forearm looked like hamburger meat, enflamed and weaping. In the center of it was the bold Mark, fresh and slithering.

From a young age, Severus was drawn to Dark things because they held power. And this new, throbbing, breathing brand was so powerful Severus knew it was its own life, it's own power source, feeding from its host. At the same time it empowered its owner, it weakened them as well.

But magic as Dark as this, Severus wondered, wasn't _only_ going too far. It was willingly stepping off a cliff into a boiling sea, knowing you'd be dragged down and drowned.

And...well...Severus liked breathing.

...~oOo~...

"Hermione!" Sirius called out, knocking on his sister's door and yawning. "Wake up, love! We're heading to Diagon Alley to get our school things!"

There wasn't an answer.

"Come one, 'Mione!" he said again, louder. "Remus is going on about something called Monkshood and none of us know a damn thing of what he's saying! We need a translator, darling!"

Still no snarky insult of his intelligence. Something wasn't right.

Hermione gave him express instructions from a young age that he was under no circumstances to ever enter her room without permission. He'd tested that rule, just to know the consequences and he certainly hadn't liked them. Hermione was brutal, but he was worried. What if she was ill? Or hurt?

"Whiskers!" he shouted again, more urgent this time. "Love!"

"What's going on?" Remus asked, walking out of the bathroom as yanking a clean shirt over his head. He'd been spending the end of summer with the Potters and it was proving to be an interesting experience. His toothbrush was hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Hermione won't wake up," Sirius explained with a mixture of annoyance and concern.

"That's not like her," Remus murmured, swallowing the toothpaste and tucking the toothbrush into his pocket. We wallked over to the door, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and calling out, "Hermione! Is everything okay?"

When silence answered, Sirius had an epiphany. "She says I can't go into her room, but she never said anything about _you_ going in!" he informed Remus. "Open the door!"

"What if she's getting dressed?" Remus asked.

"Then take a picture and make me a copy!" Sirius said before opening the door just enough to shove Remus in and closing it behind him.

Remus came out about a minute later. His expression was grave and his body was rigid. "She isn't here."

Sirius's brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'she isn't here'?"

Remus swung the door open all the way to show him the bedroom. "I mean," he said, "Hermione is gone."

...~oOo~...

"Hermione is a big girl," Charlus Potter told his wife. "She probably got a head start to Diagon Alley."

Dorea wasn't having any of it. "This isn't like her - sneaking off in the middle of the night and being missing in the morning!"

"Now, love," Mr. Potter said soothingly, "Hermione is smarter than any which I've ever met. She's been awfully busy lately and was probably too sidetracked to leave a note. I'm not saying don't be concerned - just don't panic yet."

It wasn't that Mr. Potter didn't care for Hermione - he loved her like a daughter. When she first came to live with the Potters, she'd asked to speak with him in private and explained that she was often doing work for Dumbledore - confidential business - and that she would sometimes have to leave abruptly. She promised that the moment she was safe and sound, she'd send an owl to him.

At first, he'd been hesitant to be the bumper between Dorea's protective nature and Hermione's random disappearances, but he had trust in the young girl and trust in Dumbledore.

It was half of a minute later into Dorea's ranting that an owl swooped into the room. It wasn't Hugo, but a greyish bird with flecks of yellow in his wings and black ears. It was fairly small and held a small envelope with Mr. Potter's name on it.

Charlus opened it and smiled. "See! I told you everything would be fine!" He began reading aloud, "'Dear Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I am dreadfully sorry if I've caused any alarm. I woke up early this morning and needed a specific book for a class I'll be taking this upcoming school year and I didn't want to wake any of you. It was only once I arrived at Flourish and Blotts that I realized I didn't leave a note! I was on a ladder when I realized this and unfortunately fell off. I was bruised a bit and I am fine, but it delayed my homecoming further.

"'I remember you mentioning, Mrs. Potter, a trip to Diagon Alley today, so I will stay in town and maybe meet you for lunch at noon? With love, Hermione.'"

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Dorea Potter exclaimed. "BOYS! BOYS, HERMIONE IS ALRIGHT, IT WAS ALL A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!" she shouted up the stairs.

All three boys rushed from the room they'd been pacing in eagerly. "How do you know, Mum?" James asked.

"She's alright? Is she safe?" Remus was asking at the same time.

"Are you positive?" Sirius demanded rapidly. "Was she kidnapped? Did she kill her captors? Does she need a shoulder to cry on?"

"She just sent a letter and your father was right! She went to get a book in Diagon Alley and forgot to leave a note!" she announced with a relieved smile. "Now, come along! We're meeting her for lunch! Hurry, hurry!"

...~oOo~...

"I already told you, Severus," Hermione said in the boosktore. "I'm fine. I feel wonderful actually."

"Well, you look terrible."

"Oh, Sev, you sure know how to make a girl feel special," Hermione teased good-naturedly, but he was right. She'd seen herself in the mirror that morning and she looked like a flu patient. Her eyes had dark circles under them, her skin was pale and nearly translucent like an onion's and her lips were dry, cracked and had a big slit in the bottm from where she'd bit down too hard and broke the ski nice and deep.

She was wearing an old t-shirt of Severus's and a pair of jeans she had in her little coin purse with the Undetectable Extenstion charm on it. His old clothes were small enough that his shirt fit her perfectly, which was great...even if was black. Everything he wore was black.

"I think you should go back to bed before you pass out from blood loss, because this time I'm just going to leave you there," Severus said dryly. He watched her closely as she hunted for a good book.

"My knight in shining armor," she sighed sarcastically. "I hope you don't treat your girlfriends this way."

"Girls are stupid," he sneered.

"And we have cooties to, correct?"

"Belt it. You know it's true. Girls are self-centered, vile, dramatic creatures whom I have no time or patience for."

"Well, thank you, Severus," Hermione said. "I truly appreciate that assessment of my gender."

"You're the exception of course," he said dismissively as if this mattered little. "Even Lily...well. She had her flaws."

"I can agree to that," Hermione mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ever since I arrived at Hogwarts," Hermione began tentatively, "she wasn't exactly the most welcoming."

Severus looked genuinely perplexed by that. "What do you mean? She was always the accepting sort."

Hermione gave a small snort. "Yes, well, not apparently of obnoxious, know-it-all whores."

"I highly doubt she ever said that," Severus said.

"Believe what you'd like," Hermione mumbled, closing the covers of the text and sliding it back on the shelf. "But Lily Evans is not the princess everyone makes her out to be. Hold her on that pedastal all you like, though, Severus. Not that it will do you much good."

"You're unusually cynical today," her companion observed curiously.

Hermione frowned deeply. "Yes, well, after last night I think I have reason to be," she intoned darkly.

"Will you tell me what went on?"

"I...can't," Hermione said quietly as they strolled further into the store. "It's not as if you could prepare yourself. Nothing could prepare you for...that." Hermione absently touched her bandaged forearm under the fabric of the long-sleeved shirt. "If you're lucky you won't be asked to carry the Mark at all."

"It's an honor," Severus said stiffly. "Surely you don't have any regrets?"

Hermione didn't hesitate and she mentally switched gears. "Of course I don't regret it. All I mean is that the ceremony is brutal, but these are the sacrifices we make for a better tomorrow, yes?"

"Indeed," he agreed.

"Sev, do you think -"

"Hermione!" a voice said from the end of the aisle. Both the brunette and Severus turned to find Sirius Black, taking long strides towards them, a confused and frustrated look on his face. "What...I mean, why...Just...explain yourself," he finally decided on.

"Didn't Mr. Potter read you all the letter?" she asked.

"Of course he did! But still...odd for you to forget to leave a note."

"Yes, well, I was quite distracted."

Sirius eyed Severus suspiciously. "I'm sure you were. What exactly are you doing hanging around with the greasy git?" He jabbed his thumb in the Slytherin's direction.

"Sirius," she hissed. "Don't be rude."

"I do believe," Severus intoned, "that asking Sirius Black to stop being rude is the same as asking Dumbledore to stop being a senile old man."

"Dumbledore is thrice the man you'll ever be," Sirius said snidely.

"And twice the idiot you'll ever become."

"Both of you stop," Hermione snapped in. "I will not listen to either of your nonsense." Hermione then weakly coughed.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, now concerned.

"I'm fine. Just...sore. From the fall off the ladder."

"And that made you cough?"

"No, you fool. The dust in here did." Hermione sighed and continued, "Where's everyone?"

"James dragged Remus to Quidditch Supplies in the hope to interest him in flying. I sneaked away because I had a feeling you'd be here. I was very worried." His anxiousness was genuine and showed on his face.

"Oh, how tragic," Severus purred. "Couldn't bear waking up without your brain in the house? Was it awful having to choose your own clothes and decide whether to brush your teeth before or after struggling through bathing yourself?"

"You shut up, you oily bastard," Sirius growled.

"Or what?" Severus inquired, raising an eyebrow. "You'll have to ask your sister to come up with a more original insults? Terrible, really. I'm practically shaking in anticipation."

"Or I'll hex your blasted nose of your face - but unfortunately, it would be an improvement and you'd have to thank me."

"If you aimed for my nose, you'd hit my feet. You're dueling capabilities are sloppy at best. I've met house-elves who could have you flat on your back within a minute."

"You know much about being on your back around house-elves?" Sirius asked. "Prostitutes get expensive after a while, eh, mate?"

"YOU'RE BOTH DISGUSTING," Hermione finally snapped. "Shut up! Both of you, honestly! I'm about to vomit, you're so vile!" And really, she felt like she was about to puke. The world spun and she quickly grabbed onto the shelf closest to her, fingers curling tightly around the wood to stay steady.

"Love, you don't look so good," Sirius said.

"Nauseas. Skipped breakfast and it's almost time to meet for lunch," she lied quickly. "Would you like to join us, Severus?"

"Does lunch entail Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter all at once?"

"Yes."

"Then most definitely not," Severus answered, sounding almost cordial. "I'd rather rip my own tongue out and then swallow it than have lunch with all of them," he added politely before nodding his farewell and leaving.

...~oOo~...

"While the Dark Lord is impressed with you," Lucius sneered, "I remain less so. You continue to duel to maim while you should be dueling to kill!"

"Well you can't very well expect me to throw a killing curse at you when we're practicing!" Hermione said. They were standing a few yard away in the parlor in Malfoy Manor. She would be returning to school in a matter of days and Lucius was cramming in drills.

"But I _do_," Lucius snapped at her. "You will try to kill me but I promise you won't succeed."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Simple. I'm a better duelist than you."

"Well, aren't you the confident one."

"If you managed to get an Avada Kedavra past me, I would die content with the knowing I was teaching the next generation of followers how to properly serve their lord," Lucius said nobly, a small bow of his head. "However, I would give fair warning that if you were to kill me then your cousin would be properly hacked off. And while Narcissa is the more civil of her sisters, her temper is incomparable." A very small smile graced his face. "It is one of the many reasons I adore her."

"While I'd love to listen about you list the other details of you and my cousin's love life," Hermione said, feeling particularly impatient that day. She wanted to be home by dinner and with Lucius in one of his lecturing moods, that wasn't going to happen. "I have somewhere to be. So, please, if we're done for the day..." She moved to leave.

If she had done this before her Marking, she would have been Crucio'd to within an inch of her life. But now that she carried the Dark Mark as well, she and her once mentor were now on equal footing.

Lucius still had the liberty of snatching her by the back of her jumper and pulling her towards him with the ease of yanking a rag doll. Still treating her like a doll, he took her wrist, outstretched her arm, and pulled up her sleeve.

He examined the Dark Mark.

"It's healing well," he remarked casually. "No suspicions from your 'comrades' I hope."

"None," she confirmed. "As long as I put on long sleeves and cast a few glamours, they haven't noticed a thing."

"You seem to have lost some weight," he said. "Anxious lately?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Finding time to eat has been difficult, is all."

"Have Severus brew you something for your health," Lucius ordered. He paused before saying, "You understand why we are Marked in the way we are?"

"The highest honor we can receive in Voldemort's inner circle," she recited something, trying to add pride.

"I mean the process," he said somberly. "It is the blend of loyalty, sacrifice, and unity that makes the process so strong and produce something so powerful. None of us claim it is the most...sensitive of rituals, but we all know the worth."

"As do I," Hermione said strongly. "I would not change a thing."

"That is good to hear," Lucius said mildly. "Now leave before I change my mind. Yours and Severus's invitations to the wedding were sent to Spinner's End. Well, it is less of an invitation and more on an obligationg. It's not as if you'd dare miss my wedding day."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said with a smirk before marching towards the Floo.

"Oh, and one last thing," Lucius said. "You're Narcissa's maid of honor, so you and she will be having lunch tomorrow to make wedding plans. Just thought it would be helpful to inform you."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. Now that you have more information, how do you think the Dark Mark is received? 2. Why was Hermione so determined to get to Hogwarts after the ritual? 3. Favorite part and line? 4. What do you want to see happen in this story? 5. If this was a real book, what would the cover look like?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	18. A Turn in Time

A/N. I've lived in New England for a very long time and I just made it to Salem, MA for the first time ever! March took me and we decided that we loved it so much, that whichever gender or baby be, the middle name will be Salem. We are actually considering moving there, which would be amazing! Because honestly this little apartment just isn't enough room.

ANYWAY. Here you are, a new chapter :) Many of you will both hate and love this chapter. A little break from the war, because honestly - things are about to get fucking intense. Might as well give you all a little breather ;)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Eighteen: A Turn in Time

"You've _what_?" Hermione and Sirius demanded in unison.

"I've been married for years, you two," Andromeda said with a Slytherin-esque grin. "It was actually Ted's idea to keep it quiet. He's so sensitive like that. I barely managed to convince him to elope." She rolled her eyes, but the hold behind them was prominent. "He was worried about my family, of course. But with Narcissa's wedding coming up...well, I really didn't want to have to attend and receive all that 'when are _you_ getting married Andromeda?' when in fact, I was married before all of them."

She sipped her tea, smiling serenely and continued, "So I pulled a bit of a dramatic little stunt and sent out invitations to our 'wedding' so that I could just be kicked out of the family already. Aunt Walburga got some practice with her aim on the tree, I heard, with the both of you. My favorite little blood traitors." She chuckled.

The Marauders were due to board the Hogwarts express the next morning and everyone was shocked by Andromeda's visit. Everyone was MORE shocked when she brought a husband and child in tow.

"So..." Sirius said, looking deep in thought. "When exactly did you have a baby?" Maths were never his strong point.

"I'd actually just found out I was pregnant right around when Hermione was adopted," Andromeda said, sitting back in the arm chair. The parlor was full of light, flooding in from the large windows, and it made her pale skin like like porcelain. Her wavy light brown hair was pinned up at the back of her head, but strands escaped from their confines.

Andromeda continued, "Why no one realized that I moved to France for almost exactly nine months, is beyond me." She shrugged and seemed quite pleased with herself for the entire deception. Of course she was satisfied with herself - she managed to hide an entire double life with a muggle-born from her pureblood supremacist family.

Hermione figured that that had been the real reason she hid it all. For kicks. Purely to have the self-satisfaction of knowing she fooled them all.

Then a four-year-old girl with big brown eyes and bubblegum pink hair marched into the parlor, saying loudly, "This nice man was at the door so I let him in!"

Andromeda sighed. "Nymphadora, this isn't our house! You can't just let strange people in!"

The small girl's nose curled in confusion. "He doesn't seem very strange."

Only two steps behind the kid was Remus, looking amused. He'd headed back home for the day to pick up his trunk and things for school and he'd been greeted back by this toothy, big-eyed four-year-old with technicolor hair. It was always and interesting affair when he walked through the Potters' door.

"Oh, I disagree," Sirius said with a grin. "I'd say Remus is about as strange as they come."

"I think he's nice!" Nymphadora said defensively, stamping her foot. She'd only known her older cousin for all of an hour and she was already quite tired of him...except when he gave her piggy-back rides, which had been on a constant fifteen-minute scheduling since the girl arrived. Sirius was happy to play with Nymphadora as first, but he was progressively growing more tired.

"He is nice, actually," Hermione said with a smile at her dear friend in the threadbare jumper and old jeans. "Come have a seat, Remus. We're just learning about how our cousin destroyed hundreds of generations of pureblood tradition."

"Sounds wonderful," Remus remarked with a smile. He moved to sit on the chair, but Nymphadora wasn't having any of it.

The small girl grabbed his sleeve. "Will you come play with me?"

Remus froze up. He had this...weird thing with children. Because they were more perceptive and sensitive to her lycanthropy, young kids rarely approached him. They often shied away and received a general bad energy from him. So when the novel child did look past the initial instinct to stay away, he was often put in a difficult position.

Especially since he'd had no experience with anyone under the age of ten, ever.

"Uh..." Remus said, obviously trying to find a way to either get out of the situation or accept the invitation.

"Nymphadora, he doesn't _want _to play with you," Andromeda said, obviously an advocate of tough love.

"That's pretty harsh, Dromeda," Sirius commented.

"Ted coddles were far too much," the mother said with a sniff. "Someone needs to balance it all out. Now, Nymphadora, go on and find James, he's probably in the kitchen with Mr. Potter and your father. You can terrorize him."

Nymphadora shrugged. "Okay." And she darted out of the room in a flash of tie-dye hair and pink trainers.

"Come and sit, Remus Lupin," Andromeda said, gesturing the the space on couch next to Hermione. "I admit, I've heard quite a lot about you and I love it all."

In the time it took for Remus to walk from across the room to the cushion beside her, Hermione was hit with a very strange, tingling realization that made her breath stop. Nymphadora...Tonks. Future Auror and future girlfriend of Remus Lupin.

How Hermione had let this detail slip past in her memory, she did not know. She'd become so submerged in this timeline and her position in both the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix that she had forgotten that the boy she'd been so in lov-...well... the boy she _fancied_ - yes, that was the word - was actually a man who just before she went back in time had lost his girlfriend (the four-year-old currently in rainbow pigtails) in the war.

And when she was sitting on Sirius's bed in the future, with a Time-Turner in her lap and directions from Dumbledore's portrait, she had thought all about what her task could do. Sirius would never have to go to jail and never fall through the Veil. James and Lily Potter would be alive. AND - Tonks would live and Remus could finally get out of his stupid self-loathing long enough to marry her and have children.

And only seconds before remembering all these thoughts, Hermione had been imagining Remus's wedding, only instead of Tonks by his side in her head... it was her.

...~oOo~...

That night Ted, Andromeda, and Nymphadora - affectionately called Dora by her father - Tonks all ate dinner with the Potter clan, Hermione and Sirius Black, and one young werewolf named Lupin. It was quite the motley crew. All so different and similar in the same breath and all loved a good laugh, a shot of Firewhiskey, and their families.

And even if it was a great night of fun and games and Dora crawling under the table to tie everyone's shoelaces together, Hermione's chest hurt. Dumbledore's portrait promised that by being stuck in this timeline, she could pursue happiness with whomever she chose. And Hermione had begun allowing herself to attach herself to Remus, hoping that after Voldemort was eliminated that she could tell him how she feels and have a happy ending.

But where would that leave Tonks?

Hermione sighed as she helped collect the plates from dinner. What if there was such things as soul-mates, and what if Remus and Tonks belonged to one another? How could she take that away? Little Dora would grow up and mature in a world without war and would likely live to a very old age as many wizards and witches did. She would want a husband, correct? And that could very possibly still be Remus.

When the Tonks family was getting ready to leave, she watched as Dora left little kisses on everyone's cheeks. Including Remus's. The boy looked amused, but thought nothing of it.

But Hermione thought of it. She thought of it a lot.

The Tonkses left and Sirius and James were breaking out a game of Wizards Chess while Remus and Charlus were making bets on who would win - Charlus was in favor of his son, Remus had a feeling Sirius would prevail - and Mrs. POtter was bringing in cookies and tea.

"I think I'll just go up to my room," Hermione said to her surrogate mother discreetly. As long as the boys were engrossed with their trash talk and jokes, they wouldn't notice her leave - and that was exactly how she wanted it.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Dorea Potter asked with maternal concern.

"Yes, just fine," Hermione assured her. "Just...anxious about tomorrow. Goodnight, Mrs. Potter."

"Goodnight, darling." Dorea gave her a sweet smile and Hermione turned to enter the hall and hurry on up the stairs.

Mrs. Potter set another tray of sweets on the coffee table while Sirius barked with laughter and James was chucking dead pawns at him. Remus and Charlus were discussing Ministry politics, making fun of the Minister and whatnot.

"I made these for you, Remus," Mrs. Potter said with a broad smile and a wink.

Remus laughed as he reached out to scoop up a few of the chocolate cookies that he loved so much. "Thank you, Mrs. P."

"I've packed a couple of tins for you to take to school," she stage-whispered.

"You love my friends more than me," James said mournfully. His shoulders were slumped and his face was long. "What did I ever do to make you hate me?"

"You're such a Mummy's Boy," Sirius said shaking his head.

"So?" James said with a shrug. "I love my mum. You got a problem with that, you can suck my -"

"JAMES!" Mrs. Potter quickly inserted, aghast. She smacked her son upside the head and said, "I have half a mind to make you wash your tongue with soap!"

"What's the other half of your mind saying, love?" Charlus asked curiously.

"To lock him in the cellar."

James pouted and reached out from where he sat on the ground in front of the chess set to wrap his arms around his mother's knees. "Forgive me, Mum."

Dorea Potter instantly melted. She secretly loved that her son still had such a strong need for her even at sixteen and ran her hands through his messy black locks lovingly.

Then Remus asked in the pause of conversation, "Where's Hermione?"

...

Hermione considered packing up and leaving, just leaving school and focusing her time on Horcruxes and spy work. She could probably even convince Severus to join her, but she couldn't imagine not going to school. Even if she was supposed to already be graduated, after going for so many year, stopping would be impossible.

She had just mentally terminated the "dropping out of Hogwarts" plan and was putting all her things away from her ten-minute freak out where the only words running through her head was "Oh my God, poor Tonks. Poor Remus. I'm an awful person. Need to get out of here".

A knock on her door.

She walked towards the door slowly and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Remus," a voice said back. "May I come in?"

She really considered saying, "No! I'm changing!" or just jumping out the window and disappearing forever. She didn't want to cause alarm, though.

And, of course, there was the fact that this was Remus and she had this weakness - she just couldn't keep Remus out. Our of her head, out of her heart, out of her bedroom -

Okay, that last one sounded dirty.

But you get the point.

Hermione opened the door and gave him a weak smile that she hoped was convincing, but just looked anxious and tired. "Come on in. I was just getting ready for tomorrow."

Remus walked in and Hermione gave a jump when a wind blew through her window and swung the door shut. Both teenagers stared at one another for a moment like, "Okay, so if one of us opens it, it just makes things more awkward because it draws attention to the fact that we are different genders with a tremendous amount of sexual tension between us and as long as we pretend to remain ignorant and play dumb and casual that we're just two friends and there shouldn't be anything weird about being in a room alone with the door closed, we're good".

Yes, they said all of that with a single look. And they did just that.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, continuing with his concerned friend routine instead of being the awkward teenage boy that he actually was.

"I'm great, why wouldn't I be?" Hermione said a little too quickly.

"It's just...you kind of sneaked out of the parlor, and I thought...I dunno, that there was something wrong, maybe?" he inquired, leaning against a wall to avoid going any nearer to the bed or to her. "You were kind of quiet through dinner."

"Um...yeah, I'm fine," she said, not looking at him as she closed her trunk and slid it off her bed to lean against a wall. "Just...anxious about tomorrow."

"You do realize that you can't lie to me, right?" Remus asked with a half-hearted smirk. "I can tell."

Hermione suppressed a sigh. "I'm not lying to you, Remus. I'm just tired and worried about having everything ready for school tomorrow. You know how I get."

Remus paused. "Please, 'Mione, just tell me."

Hermione smiled to herself sadly at the nickname. Whenever Remus called her 'Mione or Whiskers she got a warm feeling in her stomach. "God, why can't things just be simple?" she muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Why can't life be easy?" she asked louder, looking up at her ceiling. "Why can't everything just go back to normal?"

Remus took himself off the wall and looked over at her with a wrinkled brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." She broke off that train of thought before she said too much. She looked down at her hands for a moment as she said, "Remus, I hope you'll forgive me. I just...Once. I need to do this just _once_."

Remus couldn't even get out his question before she strode quickly across the room and crushed her mouth onto his. Her hands buried in his shaggy hair, Remus's eyes popped wide open in shock for a second before he gathered her against him instinctively and kiss her back. With a small shove from her, his back was to the wall and they were kissing frantically.

One arm hooked firmly around her waist, his opposite hand was curled in her hair, holding tight at the base of her neck and tilting her head to kiss her even stronger and deeper. Hermione's chest was heaving as their tongues mingled and she was taking whatever air she could through her nose. She wasn't going to stop for air.

With a quick tug and turn, Remus had Hermione pinned to the wall. She smelt so good, he thought as they held onto one another with bruising force. Hermione knew her hip would probably have a dull imprint of his hand in the morning, but she welcomed the bruise. She even pushed her side into his hand harder. She wanted something real to prove to herself that this was real and welcomed the pain.

A low, growling sound escaped the back of Remus's throat and both of them froze.

"What was that?" Hermione whispered, their lips still touching.

"I actually...have no idea," Remus confessed, looking down his nose at her.

Then, after a long silence of just them standing close and breathing, they disintegrated into giggles. It started with an incredulous chuckle from Remus, followed by a nervous sound from Hermione and then they both lost it from there. They both just laughed quietly in their embrace at the surrealism of the moment.

Remus kissed her again, a short, sweet kiss where he took her full lower lip between his own. Hermione sighed and closed her eyes.

"Hermione?" he murmured as their foreheads touched and each of them kept their eyes closed. They just wanted to savor that breathtaking minute.

"Mmm?" she answered.

"What did you mean...'just once'?"

Hermione knew exactly what he meant immediately. When she kissed him, she had most definitely not been expecting such a brilliant response. She was hoping that after a few awkward seconds she could apologize bashfully, claim to have a fever, and they both could go back to their normal, friendly lives. She'd just wanted to know what he tasted like once before she could start letting go of him for good.

Now this changed everything. Kissing him had been like a drug and it was like she became an instant addict after a single dose. And now it just hurt more - because she was still going to have to let go.

_Stop being so selfish, _she told herself. _Give it a few will mature and he'll eventually realize how great she is for him. _

She saw it all happen in his head. After the war, after everyone was safe, she and him would still be together, but then the timeline would suddenly right itself. Remus would see Tonks in a new light and Remus would be unhappy, feeling trapped by the years he and Hermione had spent together and his new feelings. It would be messy.

Better to let him go now, she reasoned.

"I am..." Hermione began nudging her way reluctantly sideways, out of his arms, "so..._incredibly_ sorry. I shouldn't have just...attacked you like that."

"Hermione, I didn't mind," Remus said slowly, feeling the sudden change in atmosphere. Hermione was pulling away, in more ways than one. He reached out for her hand. "Obviously, I didn't mind."

Not meeting his eyes, Hermione took her hand away. "It was improper and...stupid of me. I shouldn't have. I hope you'll come to forgive me."

"You don't _need _to ask for _forgiveness_," he said firmly. "Hermione, what the hell is wrong?"

"What's wrong is that...I kissed you," she said. "It was wrong."

He let out a dry, incredulous laugh. "Are you kidding?" he demanded, sounding angry. "In this whole fucked up thing we call our lives what just happened - that kiss - was the only thing that was _right_. And you're...you're just...doing _this_ and I don't understand _why_."

"All I can say is...if you really want to understand..." Hermione chuckled to herself humorlessly. "You really better get working on that puzzle box."

"Please stop being so cryptic," he said, his cheeks flushed with frustration. "I'm not going to just let this go because you're playing mind games."

Hermione sighed and she felt her heart cracking straight down the middle while she made a final decision. "I am so sorry, Remus." Two tears fell from her eyes.

"You've already said that and -"

"_Obliviate_."

...~oOo~...

ONE YEAR AND ONE DAY LATER

"I can't believe they're dating," Sirius said.

"I know. It's so..." James struggled to find an adjective.

"Weird," Sirius grumbled. "The word is 'weird'."

"Not quite weird," James mused, looking over at the couple. "Just...it doesn't seem quite right."

"No, it's weird," Sirius said with finality. "Come on, 'Mione, tell James that it's weird."

Hermione was yanked from her reverie and tore her eyes from where they'd been staring blankly at her cart, at Hugo's left wing. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked her brother.

Sirius pointed over at who they'd been talking about. "Tell James that Remus dating Patricia Reed is weird."

"Weird..." Hermione mused, looking across the crowd at the tall, sandy-haired boy with a petite little blonde Hufflepuff. "Um. Maybe not completely weird, but...different, yes. I always pictured him with someone more..."

"Intelligent?" James guessed. "Because I'm going to be honest - the contents of Patricia's head are blonde hair and hot air."

"Yes," Hermione barely choked out through her thick throat. "More intelligent, perhaps."

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, guys. She's just so...I'm not sure."

"Well," Hermione said, promptly shaking herself from her oncoming meltdown. After erasing their kiss from his mind, she'd cried every night for a week. That'd been a year before, but in the last weeks - ever since they got the letter where Remus announced his relationship - she'd cried herself to sleep every night on top of many random fits of sadness throughout the day. "It's not as if any of us have a say. If Remus is happy, we all are happy. He needs some light in his life. Now let's get on the train before it leaves without us."

"Hermione...it's not scheduled to leave for another half-hour," Sirius informed her, examining his sister curiously. "You seem a bit anxious, love. What's the matter? Already freaking out about exams, I bet."

"Yes," Hermione dismissed absently, looking over once more at the boy of her dreams and a perfect, tiny, curvy girl with hair like pin-straight corn-silk. They gave one another a cute little kiss and Hermione almost broke right there.

Patricia was a pretty blonde with an hourglass figure and still had a hard time telling the difference between an ogre and a giant. She had blue eyes and absolutely no freckles on flawless skin.

In other words, she was the exact opposite of Hermione. And the frizzy-haired bookworm could not help but let one drop escape the corner of her eye.

And then her left forearm started to burn.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW?

Challenge: 1. Any more guesses about the Dark Mark? 2. Do you love baby Tonks or what? hehe :) 3. Are you guys pissed at me for another fast-forward in time? 4. Thoughts and concerns on the Remus/Hermione situation?

And 5. More baby name ideas, maybe?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	19. Misplaced Trust

A/N. I am in the worst pain. My stomach and back are killing me and I'm so nauseas, it sucks.

My FOMB's nephews came over today and they're the cutest friggin things. There's four of them and they're all monsters. I love them!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

Enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen: Misplaced Trust

"I'll meet you all at our usual cabin," Hermione said quickly, climbing onto the train. "I've got to go...do Head Girl business." Her arm was stinging and it was really distracting.

"But...what business would the Head Girl have that the Head Boy didn't?" James asked, pointing to his shiny new Head Boy badge.

"Girl business, James," she said simply, trying her hardest to get to a private corner to Apparate away. "There are simply some things that men just can't handle."

James looked a little put out, but nodded because it was true.

Hermione disappeared up onto the train and Sirius turned to James. "She's always doing that. Leaving abruptly and making some random excuse. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Not especially," James said with a shrug.

"Well, you and her will be sharing a dormitory, so keep an eye on her for me, mate," Sirius said, patting his friend on the shoulder soundly. "Hermione has been doing and saying weird things. Just the other day, she asked me if she minded that I keep our 'engagement' ring. Of course I said yes, I really forgot the thing existed, really, but...still. Strange for someone so opposed to marrying me in the first place."

"Maybe," James said, nudging his friend, "she's changing her mind."

Sirius shook his head. "That isn't it. We made a deal and for her to start reconsidering an engagement breaks that deal."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened that Christmas? Or even what this 'deal' you two made was?" James asked.

Sirius smirked to himself and shook his head. "Never."

...~oOo~...

Breakfast was an awkward affair. It was a Thursday morning about two weeks into term and it was the first time Patricia Reed sat with the Marauders. The tenstion was tangible. Sirius was still sticking to his opinion that Patricia and Remus as an item was weird. Hermione had become particularly quiet in the last few weeks, but most of her friends wrote it off that this year would be the biggest exam year of her life and she was diving into nonstop studying.

Hermione had a book in front of her next to her light breakfast of tea and toast. Sirius was absently playing with the end of her hair and was trying his hardest not to make weird faces at Remus and the Hufflepuff. James was sitting there, obviously feeling uncomfortable. No one had sit with the Marauders since Peter and once he'd drifted away, it was always just Moony, Whiskers, Padfoot and Prongs. No variations, no additions.

Always being the one to try and diffuse such tense situations like this, James said, "So...Quidditch."

For some reason, not even that worked.

James let out a big whoosh of air.

Patricia and Remus's hands were clasped on top of the table and Hermione watched them out of the corner of her eye. They were turned toward one another intimately and seemed to be quietly chatting with one another sporadically since there was no other conversation going on.

"How did you two meet?" James asked the couple.

"I actually tutored her in Magical Theory last year," Remus said with a smile. "And we continued talking in the summer and then...yeah."

"And now we're together!" Patricia said in her soprano voice, beaming. Her teeth were really white and had always been perfectly straight. Hermione absently touched the front of her mouth where her front two teeth would always be slightly larger than the average person's. They'd definitely got better over the years to the point where they were basically unnoticeable, but still...Hermione would have killed for Patricia's teeth.

"That's...nice," James said, not really sure of any other way to describe the story. "So what's everyone's plans for the Hogsmeade weekend?"

Patricia announced with a giggle, "Remy andI are going for a walk and lunch at Madam Puddifoot's!"

Hermione gritted her imperfect teeth. _Remy_? Really? His name was Remus. Not "Rem", not "RJ", and not bloody "Remy". _Remus_. Moony to a special few, but otherwise it was just his name. Hermione loved his name, it was perfect for him: Remus John Lupin. Any shortening or variation on his given name was not okay with Hermione.

"I'm going to ask Lily. I think she will say yes this year," James said confidently.

Sirius snorted. "If not, you can join Hermione and I of course. Which is likely."

"I'm sorry," Hermione interceded. "Who says I don't have my own plans?"

"Because...you never do," Sirius said.

"Well, this time I do!" she fibbed. "I'm going to Hogsmeade with..." Hermione hesitated, having no clue who to say.

"Me. Aren't we, Hermione?"

Everyone spun towards the deep voice and Hermione smiled.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'm going to Hogsmeade with Severus."

Everyone looked a mixture of bemusement and disgust.

"Actually, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the library, Hermione?" Severus went on, obviously just trying to escape the lions' den. He was giving her a very hard you-owe-me-for-this look.

"I'll meet you there in just a moment, Severus," Hermione said, giving him a smile that he returned with a scowl and he stalked away, his robes billowing behind him like bat wings.

"Well, fuck," Sirius said, obviously pissed. "Remus is going with Patricia, James refuses to give up on Lily, and my sister is going with the greasy git. Who the fuck am I supposed to occupy my time with while all of you are snogging?"

"You could always ask Gertrude Finkle," James said with a mischievous smile. "She is, after all, the only girl you've ever gone past flirting with."

Sirius's face lost all hints of amusement. "James..." he said quietly, a warning in his voice.

"What?" James shrugged. "It's true. Sure, she's a little on the heavy side, but you said she was a miracle between the sheets."

Hermione finally looked up from her book with a puzzled expression. "Gertrude...Finkle? What do you mean, James?"

"What?" James said, a furrow in his brow. "Don't you know about Fourth Year?"

"James!" Sirius hissed.

James's eyes got huge behind his glasses. "You really didn't tell her that you lost your virginity to Gertrude Finkle in Fourth Year?"

"Well now she does," Remus murmured.

Hermione was aghast. She looked over at her adopted brother and said through clenched teeth, "Are...you...kidding...me!" She shot out of her seat, gathering her books against her chest, looking beyond furious and storming out of the room.

Everyone stared at Sirius, waiting for some kind of explanation. He offered none and got up, following right after her.

James looked across the table at a puzzled Patricia. "In case you're wondering...yes, it _is_ always like this."

...

"Hermione! Wait! Let me explain!" Sirius called out desperately after her.

Face red and eyes dark, she spun to face him, clutching her books so hard that her knuckles were white. "From what it sounds like, you've got nothing to explain! I understand completely - you_ lied_. The one person in the world I thought I could count on to always tell me the truth _lied_."

"I didn't lie...exactly," Sirius said, pulling at straws. He just wanted her to calm down for a minute so that he could explain himself and then beg for forgiveness.

"Oh, okay," Hermione began sarcastically. "So, on Christmas in our _Fifth Year_ when I said I was a virgin and you said 'me too' - that_ wasn't_ a lie?"

"So if I had said that I wasn't a virgin," Sirius asked, starting to get annoyed, "then, what? You would have picked up your shirt and pants and left the room?"

"Yes!"

"So in other words," Sirius went on, "you didn't sleep with me because you cared or genuinely wanted me - but because I had no experience?"

"No, Sirius! I slept with you because I wanted to, and knew I was giving you something that I could never take back. Because I trust you that much," Hermione snapped. "And when you said that you were, in turn, giving me something equally as special it only confirmed in my head that what I was doing was right. But it seems that I forgot that to boys, virtue is inconsequential. But it isn't for girls." Hermione's eyes were welling up with tears. "Sirius Black, I gave you my innocence and my trust. And you...stomped on it like it was nothing!"

Sirius raked his large hands roughly back through his hair. This was bad. He'd regretted lying to her the second it had slipped out of his mouth in her bedroom those two years ago.

"Hermione," he began slowly. He took another breath. "When I... lied to you that night...I was being selfish. I was afraid you'd be angry at me...I was afraid that I'd lose you, as more than a lover, but as a friend and sister. _You are everything to me_, Hermione. And when I said I was a virgin, I almost believed it myself because after Gertrude and I... you know...I felt nothing. I felt no different. It was as if it was all some weird dream even when I knew it was reality.

"But when you and I..." He swallowed. "When you and I made love, it was as if everything changed. And even when we made the agreement to never tell anyone and move on, it was special. It was like we reaffirmed how important we are to one another."

Sirius reached out and held her by the shoulder and looked down in her eyes. "Even if that night we agreed that we weren't meant to be, you say you gave me your innocence and trust. Well, I did give you something back. I gave you a piece of me that will always belong to you. Even long after we're both married and have kids with different people - I promise that something inside of me is yours. Be it my heart or soul or whatever."

There was a long, contemplating silence. Hermione took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes.

"But don't tell anyone I said that," Sirius said, dropping his hands and giving her a half-hearted smile. "No one would believe it and those that did would think I've gone soft."

"I'm not going to forgive you right away, just so you know," Hermione said with a glower. "You need time to think about what you've done."

"Alright, _Mum_."

"The next girl you sleep with," Hermione said, taking a few steps back, "let her know that you've slept with both Gertrude the Glutton _and_ your sister."

"When you say it like that... it only makes me want to tell people less."

Hermione chuckled and then gave Sirius a sincere smile. "I hope you know that it's the same for me. A part of me is yours, too."

Sirius shrugged. "I guess that's just how we'll always be. I can't live without you, you know."

"And I can't live without you."

...~oOo~...

Hermione found Severus in the back corner of the library. It was the corner without a window and with a dim lamp. It was dark and cool and quiet - his favorite type of setting.

"So...we're going to Hogsmeade together?" she asked, amused.

"Don't think me a fool," he said, without looking up from the massive, ancient tome he had in front of him on the small table. "I see how you look at Lupin. It's pathetic, but obvious. I figured your reason behind lying about having plans fir Hogsmeade was to make him jealous. And I knew the person who would make him most angry would be me. Thus my interference. I accept your gratitude."

Hermione smirked. "Well...thanks. But you shouldn't be calling me pathetic. You still stare at Lily and it's been far more years since your parting."

Severus looked up and sneered. "I've recovered more than you think I have."

_Right_, Hermione thought with a roll of her eyes. "So why have you summoned me to the library?" She took the seat next to him to peek at the book he had.

She noticed it was from the Restricted section and smiled. Severus sure knew how to sneak around, even in the daytime.

"I've been thinking about the task the Dark Lord gave you and I on our first day of term," Severus said, referring to their prompt summoning the day they were supposed to board the Hogwarts express. "About making plans to hide the Diadem."

Hermione suppressed a frown. Indeed Voldemort had asked Hermione and Severus, his best researchers, to find a new hiding place for the Diadem. Severus did not know why, but Hermione did, little did anyone know.

"I thought perhaps we could come up with five levels of protection," Severus said. "That way it would be literally impossible to get in. I've already come up with two."

"And what would those be?"

"Some sort of beast to start. In front of whatever structure it is hidden in, but with a Confusion Cloak over the monster and the building," Severus began.

"You make it sound like this will be a large structure?"

Severus nodded. "In a hidden place, of course. So, in a difficult area to find, with a confusion charm over the whole thing to distract wandering travelers, and a monster living in front of it."

"What kind of monster?"

"We will think about that later," Severus said, scribbling on his parchment. He was making a list. "Any thoughts?"

"I think there should be a large wall after the monster," Hermione suggested. "Surrounding the building where the Diadem is held. Nice and tall."

"Anyone could ride a broomstick over a wall," Severus said.

"Only those who'd already survived the monster," Hermione pointed out. And then she remembered...the last task of the Tri-Wizard Tournment. "And when you get over the wall, you're stuck in a maze. A maze that has no end or specific direction. If someone were to get in, they would get lost and stranded and eventually die of starvation."

Severus was nodding and writing it all down. "But where would the Diadem go?"

"Under the maze," Hermione said on a stroke of epiphany. "A hidden hatch with a password in the middle of the labyrinth would lead down a hole and under the ground the Diadem will be hidden."

"So, we've got a confusion ward, a monster, a wall, a labyrinth, and a password to a hatch. That's five. And we can put a few wraiths in the basement for good measure and keep the Diadem buried." He finished writing and cast a charm on the parchment to hide all of the writing. "We can each do research on the hexes and curses we can put all around the labyrinth and hatch. No one will be able to get past the monster let alone the rest of the wards."

He was right, Hermione thought. No one could get past...except, of course, her.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW!

Challenge: 1. Did anyone guess the happenings of Christmas night correctly? 2. What do you think of the structure Hermione and Severus are building? Perhaps it is too well protected? 3. What do you think will happen at Hogsmeade with all of these conflicts? 4. Favorite part and line?


	20. Reflection

A/N. Because of my terrible pain all of yesterday and this morning, I called out of work. My FOMB absolutely insisted on it, so that is why I am giving you all an update...in the middle of the day, haha. Perhaps I shall update again!

This chapter is kind-of-sort-of a filler. Stuff happens and it's important, but there's not too much. Next chapter will be more intense.

I'VE JUST GOT SOME AMAZING NEWS! This story has been nominated in the category of "Most Promising Harry Potter Fanfiction" of the Energize W.I.P. Award~

The voting is from July 13 - July 20! There are some amazing other fics nominated, so check out the listing on www*energizewipawards*blogspot*com/2011/09/nominees*html. (change the *'s to dots) and vote for your favorite!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty: Reflection

_Sirius and Hermione were lying next to one another in the dark. The window was open and the room around them was icy, but they each were warm and their bodies, even if only their shoulders were touching, acted as radiators to the other. _

_"Um..." Sirius said, unsure. His voice was hoarse. "That was..."_

_"Interesting," Hermione finished for him._

_"I was going to say brilliant, but interesting is just as applicable." He looked over at Hermione with a quirky smile. _

_They both laughed quietly. The awkward tension dissolved and Hermione covered his face, shaking her head as she laughed at the impossibility of it all. She was in the body of a fifteen-year-old, but her mind was so much more mature than that and still she was feeling the giddiness a young girl would feel after her first time. Things like that just didn't change, she guessed. _

_"Hermione," Sirius said, turning on his side to face her. He propped himself up on one arm and looked down. "Are you really here right now?"_

_"Of course I'm really here," Hermione said, still smiling. She rolled her eyes. "Who else would it be? Afraid that I'm still James under the influence of Polyjuice?"_

_Sirius shuddered theatrically. "Don't even joke."_

_Hermione beamed at him and Sirius couldn't help but grin at her adorably flawed front teeth. _

_"I mean," Sirius continued, "are you here with me or is your mind somewhere else? Because I can't shake the feeling that you're going to freak out and run out the door any second."_

_"You know," Hermione said, absently pushing hair out of her face, "I was wondering the same thing. But I came to a conclusion. Right now, I'm happy. No regrets. Which is...insane."_

_"I agree," the long-haired boy said with a nod. "But...I think...you and I..."_

_"Just aren't meant to be?" she filled in. _

_"Exactly."_

_"I think you're right," Hermione said. "I mean...I care for you so deeply and I really do love you, but in a different way. Not quite as a lover, but more than a friend or brother."_

_He nodded. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not in love with you, but I think I learned tonight that...we aren't soul mates."_

_"You believe in soul mates?"_

_"I believe there is one person out there for all of us."_

_"Sirius Black, how romantic," Hermione taunted. "Who knew you were such the poet?"_

_Sirius rolled his eyes and gave a light scowl. "Yes, well, let's just say it's from spending so much time with James - such a ponce, he is."_

_Hermione giggled. "It's sort of funny, isn't it? Just an hour ago we were striking a deal that if I kissed you, you would forgive me. And now, everything just feels...right again."_

_"Amazing what sex can do, isn't it? Perhaps we should go another round for good luck."_

_Hermione smacked him on the shoulder, but he just kept grinning. "You're right. I think it's one of those things that needed to happen so that we could move on. I need you in many ways, 'Mione, but I realize sex isn't part of them. For months I've thought I needed to have you in my bed or else I would explode. But here I am, in _your _bed, and...I just want you as my sister. Like that page had turned and it's time to start over."_

_"I couldn't have put it better myself, brother."_

_Sirius scowled. "Just...don't call me 'brother' when each of us are naked under covers together. It makes my stomach squirm and not in the good way."_

_Hermione laughed. "So here's a deal we can make. Each of us move forward. No more slipping back into torrent kissing in the library or abrupt Christmas night love making. We accept the bond we have is strong and isn't going to fade, but go back to the way we were."_

_"I'd say that is a pretty good deal," Sirius said. He put out the hand that wasn't holding himself up. "Shake on it?"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes, but put her hand in his to shake. But instead of a shake, he yanked her forward to plant a quick, closed-lip kiss on her mouth. _

_"I've always been more of one to seal with a kiss," he explained mischievously. _

_Each of them laughed and Sirius dropped to his back again, but moved Hermione around the waist in a way that she was pressed up against his side and they fit together. It wasn't the type of embrace that made Sirius eager for "another round" or that made Hermione uncomfortable. Putting aside the fact they were both naked, the embrace was actually...friendly._

_"No matter who you fall in love with one day..." Sirius whispered, all humor gone and leaving behind sincerity, "I'll always protect you. No one - not even me - will ever be good enough for you, love. And I'll be there to keep you safe when he doesn't make the cut."_

_Hermione smiled and tucked her face into his hair. She murmured, "I love you, Sirius," before drifting off to sleep. _

_..._

For some reason, that was the memory that came to the forefront of her head as Hermione ate breakfast that Sunday. Sirius was sitting at his customary place beside her and of course was eat like a pig, scooping up a mountain of scrambled eggs on a big spool and shoveling them into his mouth. He gulped at his glass of milk greedily like he hadn't drunk in days.

_Is this really the boy who touched me so tenderly and made love to me so slowly? _Hermione wondered for a moment.

Then Sirius saw her staring, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and turned to give her a secret wink.

_Yes, it most definitely is, _Hermione thought with a smile.

Hermione knew the reason she thought about that night was because of the boy sitting across the table holding hands with the perky, smiling, overly kind blonde.

It was that Christmas morning that Hermione realized how in love she was with Remus.

Before that, she had always suppressed any feelings for anyone because of Dumbledore's portrait's task, and then when Sirius kissed her for the first and second time, everything became so complicated. Her heart started throbbing and she couldn't ignore her feelings anymore...

But when she thought that maybe Sirius was the love she'd been hiding so desperately, she'd misplaced her feelings for the wrong person. She hadn't taken complete notice, but during the "engagement" with Sirius and that awful full moon where everything went to hell, Remus was always this constant, quiet element in the back of her head.

Only the morning after her night with Sirius did Hermione realize that her thoughts always found a trail back to Remus. Or how when he was around she was always thinking things like, _His hair is so nice in the sun _or _He hasn't shaved in a few days, but I think I like the scruff on his chin and neck _and, of course, more recently, _His hair is getting quite long, I wonder when he'll let me cut it. _

And after the New Year fireworks with him, it only affirmed that Hermione did love him.

And here they all were. A lovely, albeit chilly, Saturday morning in the Great Hall with Remus sitting only three feet away, holding hands with a girl that Hermione had learned to strongly dislike.

James stood from the table and straightened his shirt and glasses, giving everyone a nervous smile. "Here goes nothing...or everything." And he began to march down the table.

They all knew what he was doing of course.

Lily Evans sat close enough that the Marauders - and Patricia, ugh - could just hear what James was saying.

James cleared his throat and caught the redhead's attention. The redhead turned around to look at where James stood beside her and almost the entire Gryffindor table was watching with anticipation. This was Seventh Year, James Potter's last chance to get Lily Evans to date him. It was almost like a soap opera.

"Evans..." James corrected himself, "Lily. I know in the past I've been a right git. You know this, I know this, the entire bloody school knows this. And I've been terrorizing you for years, for which I can only apologize. But I've come to you today, not as a pompous asshole, bully, or even as the egotistical Head Boy. Just as...me. And it would be an honor if you accompanied me to Hogsmeade today."

The palpable silence last for barely a second and was broken when Lily said...

"Sure."

James stared. "I'm sorry, but did you just say... 'sure'."

"Yep," Lily said casually, tucking a piece of auburn hair behind her ear. "So, I'll meet you in the courtyard at noon, right?"

James was still shell-shocked, a victim of petrification. Numbly, he nodded and walked like a zombie back towards his friends. This apparently hadn't been the answer he expected.

"He practiced that speech in the mirror all last night and this morning," Sirius clued Hermione in.

"Had me help him write it, too," Remus added. "I thought it had been impressive when I wrote it, but now...well, I think I deserve a pat on my back if it got Evans to say yes."

James dropped down in his seat next to Remus. He looked deeply perplexed as if he was trying to solve a particularly difficult Arithmancy problem.

"Are you alright, mate?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. "I was always worried about this. If Evans were to ever accept, I knew he was bound fall into a catatonic state. I just knew it."

"I think...Evans just said she'd go on a date with me," James said, seeming to be in a foggy sort of trance. "But...I can't be sure, really. Because logically, that doesn't make any sense."

"His brain is going into overdrive," Sirius said sadly, shaking his head some more. "It'll burn out any second now."

"She _did_ just say yes, James," Hermione informed him delicately. "You _are_ going on a date with Lily Evans today. In a few hours."

James sat back and looked up. A broad, boyish smile stretched across his face. All he had to say was, "Brilliant."

...~oOo~...

Hermione and Severus were strolling about Tomes and Scrolls when the bell above the door rang and Hermione instinctively looked up to see who was coming in. It was none other than Remus and a very put-out looking Patricia.

Before they could spot the Death Eater duo, Hermione snatched Snape's sleeve and tossed him behind a shelf to be out of sight of the couple.

"What the -"

Hermione boldly reached out and covered Severus's mouth. She moved a book from the shelf and pointed through it to where Remus was beginning to browse while Patricia stood by, tapping impatiently.

"Ah," Severus said once Hermione removed her hand. "Lupin." He nodded in reluctant understanding. "But why is it that you don't want him to see us? He already knows we came to Hogsmeade together and it would not precisely be a surprise to find Hermione Black in a bookstore. So it begs the question, why are we hiding?"

"I don't exactly know," Hermione whispered.

"I thought not," Severus droned dryly. "Wonderful. My day at the bookstore - one of the few enjoyments I have in this miserable world - is being corrupted by two hormonally confused Marauders and a bloody Hufflepuff."

"_Keep your voice down_," Hermione hissed.

"My voice is always down," he intoned. "And if you are still bent on making him jealous, would it not be advantageous of you to be seen by him with me?"

"What would I even say?"

"I've heard 'hello' is known to be a good starter."

Then Hermione really had no choice because Remus made a turn into their aisle, Patricia's high-pitched voice close behind him whining on and on, "Come _on,_ Remy, this store is _so boring_, let's _leave_ -"

"Oh," Remus said upon seeing Hermione. "Hello."

"I told you," Severus muttered to Hermione beneath his breath.

"Hello," Hermione said in turn, ignoring her friend. She tugged on her jumper nervously. "What are you two doing in here?"

"Books," Remus said, gesturing vaguely at the shelves around them. He obviously hadn't been expecting to find Hermione and Severus together, and standing rather close.

"Indeed, books," Severus said lowly. "That would make sense, wouldn't it? Seeing as we are, after all, in a book_store_. Brilliant. I am enjoying the intellectual conversation we are obviously about to partake in, but I do find myself famished for both lunch and better company. Hermione?" he inquired, holding out his arm for her.

Hermione readily hooked her arm with Severus and as they were about to leave the store and were out of Remus's sight, Hermione heard Patricia say, "Why do you hang around her, Remy? The whole school knows she's a bit of a...you know..."

"A bit of a what?" Remus asked, sounding not very interested in gossip.

She whispered something that Hermione couldn't hear and immediately heard Remus's voice answer angrily, "_She is most definitely not_. You would do well not to listen to such gossip. She is my best friend, Patricia. I don't like hearing you talk about her that way."

Hermione smiled to herself. Remus stood up for her. And she and Severus continued their walk out of the store and towards lunch.

They had not been expecting to find Sirius in the Three Broomsticks, already throwing down this second Firewhiskey. He saw his sister and Severus enter and exclaimed, "Rosmerta, darling! Two butterbeers for my sister and her boyfriend, my arch nemesis!"

Madam Rosmerta laughed and did just so. She put down two large mugs at the stools beside Sirius and Hermione walked over. So did Severus, but he did it very reluctantly.

"How is your lovely day in Hogsmeade so far?" Sirius asked, a bit loudly. He wasn't drunk - far from - but he was considerably relaxed. Hence the reason why he was allowing Severus within ten feet of him without throwing a hex. "Have you two snogged in Madam Puddifoot's yet?"

"Sirius, Severus and I aren't dating," she informed her brother with a smile as she sipped her butterbeer. "We're only friends, isn't that right, Severus?"

"Barely even that," Severus agreed.

"Shame for you, Snapey-poo," Sirius said with a wink. "She's a fantastic kisser. Trust me, I know from experience."

"I think I'm going to vomit," Severus said dryly, examining his mug with disdain. He turned to Hermione. "I know you're not exactly thrilled with marrying this idiot, but it would be smart to take control of his public outbursts now, wouldn't it?"

"Marry?" Sirius asked. "But...Hermione and I aren't engaged anymore."

"Oh, Sirius," Hermione said with fake laughter as her heart ricocheted in her chest. "You've had a bit too much to drink, haven't you?"

Severus looked at Hermione with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. He leaned down to whisper so that only she could hear, "The Dark Lord requested that you continue the engagement. Are you letting your feelings for Lupin get in the way of your loyalty?"

"We _are_ engaged," Hermione said under her breath, nodding to the ring on her left hand. "We hit a rough patch, is all." Then she raised her voice to Sirius could hear. "Isn't that right, Sirius?"

"Of course, love!" Sirius said, ready to agree with his sister on anything.

"See?" Hermione said with a plastic smile. This seemed to appease Severus, but just barely.

When Hermione and Sirius had been blasted from the Black family tree, she had explained to the Dark Lord that she followed him out of the family as a cover to watch over him as he asked. Voldemort had made it clear he expected her to still proceed with the engagement. The Dark Lord's sources spoke of Sirius's advanced capability at dueling and his skill in magic. Voldemort was still expecting her to keep his trust because he believed that Sirius was a good link to whatever plans Dumbledore had.

"Not a very good fiancee," Severus remarked quietly. "He outright asked if you and I were involved in a romantic relationship and laughed it off like it didn't matter."

"We are...very open."

"Too open, if you ask me."

"Have you not heard of polyamorous relationships?" she asked with a hint of teasing.

"And only now does the Marauders' relationship make sense," Severus said with mock realization. "How could I not have known? Of course all four of you are lovers. It's the only twisted enough relation for all of you. My suspicion is that it started with Potter and Black and branched out to Remus and unfortunately consumed you as well."

"Oi!" Sirius jumped in, obviously starting to listen after taking a long swig of Firewhiskey. "James and I only kissed _once_!"

Severus only stared for a long minute. "There are some things, Black, I am content to never know."

"You know," Sirius said upon further reflection. "He wasn't that bad of a kisser. He just sort of...stood there, but still. He's got soft lips."

"Alright! So, Quidditch!" Hermione interrupted before Sirius could say any more bizarre observations of his accidental kiss with James.

"Only...I guess they weren't _his_ lips at the time," Sirius continued, squinting as he tried to work it all out in his head. "They were actually Hermione's."

"I'm cutting you off, Black," Rosmerta said, hearing the babbling. She shook her head and turned to Hermione. "Best to get him back up to school and make him sleep it off."

Hermione nodded. "I could not agree more."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! AND VOTE!

Challenge: part and line? 2. What do you think James and Lily did for their first date while Sirius was getting drunk and Hermione and Remus had their little encounter? 3. Predictions? 4. What do you think of Sirius's drunken rants?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	21. Discoveries

A/N. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-One: Discoveries

Sirius could easily stand on his own. Over all he wasn't what one would qualify as "shit-faced drunk". The only difference really was his normally obnoxious and narcissistic and loving-life attitude was amplified.

Sirius was yard ahead of Severus and Hermione and was running in a figure-eight in the snow that was beginning to fall. Sirius was guffawing loudly and disturbing the few people who were still window-shopping in the cold. It was only October, but Scotland was being hit with a major cold front. Hermione was hugging herself and yanking her jumper sleeves down over her hands to tuck under her arms.

Severus, as always, didn't seem to be effected by any kind of weather. He wore a plan long-sleeved black shirt and trousers. And he seemed to be perfectly fine...well, he was sneering with disdain at the giddy figure of Sirius swooping around a ways in front of them.

"I hope he slips and falls and break open that miserably swollen head of his," Sirius growled, his breath making little mist clouds erupt from his lips.

"Isn't the snow beautiful, Hermione?" Sirius shouted, more to the heavens than to his sister. "Gorgeous! Just like you, my love! You're like a million, wonderful, fluffy little snowflakes all bundled into one girl with really nice skin! It's why I love you so much!"

"Oh, dear," Hermione said emotionlessly. "You know he's drunk when he starts declaring his love for me."

Out of nowhere, Sirius swooped in towards Hermione and with a sudden tilt of the world, Hermione found herself slung over Sirius's shoulder as he ran around.

"SIRIUS!" Hermione bellowed. "I HAVE NO TRUST IN YOUR FOOTING RIGHT NOW, SO YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"Never, love!" Sirius shouted with glee.

"NOW, SIRIUS!"

"Well, alright," he said begrudgingly, stopping and sliding her down. But he did not let her go completely - no. He grabbed her by the shoulders and ducked down to plant a hard, but chaste, kiss right on her lips. Then he whooped and yelled to the sky, "PEOPLE OF HOGSMEADE, I JUST KISSED MY SISTER!"

Hermione smacked herself in the forehead.

Severus's lip curled in disgust. "Must he be so vulgar?"

"He wouldn't exactly be Sirius Black if he wasn't," James said as he heard this exchange while he and Lily were exiting Honeyduke's.

Lily and James both looked very awkward. They were avoiding one another's gaze, but when their eyes caught, one or both blushed furiously and tried to hide their smiles. Apparently the date had gone well.

"What exactly are you doing around both Sirius and Hermione, Snape?" James asked tersely, obviously trying to be civil. James had matured a lot in only the last year, but something about Snape would always rub him the wrong way.

"A question," Severus purred in derision, "that I find me fervently asking myself. Perhaps you should let Hermione explain since I know she will put it more...tastefully than I would."

"Sirius is sort of drunk," Hermione said with a smirk, pushing a hand through her frizzy mane. The snow was sticking to her curls and making it all wet, tangling it. The bush she called hair would be a disaster to wash later that evening. "Rosmerta kicked him out before he could get in trouble and we are trying to escort him back to Hogwarts, which is a feat proving to be arduous."

"Oh, dear," James said, shaking his head. "Has he started snogging statues yet?"

"Not yet," Hermione said.

"There is hope yet," James said, sounding relieved. He turned to the girl he just spent the day with. "I hope you'll excuse me, Lily, while I escort my idiot friend back to school." He dipped in to kiss her cheek, winked, and then rushed ahead to where Sirius was attempting to climb a street lamp.

Lily looked at Hermione and Severus, her silly smile dropping from her face. Two of Lily Evans's least favorite people in the same place. Lily had started glaring at Hermione much more often since Hermione was made Head Girl instead of Lily.

"I'll see you both...around," was all Lily said before strolling away.

Severus and Hermione exchanged a short look before they continued walking. They were almost completely out of Hogsmeade when Hermione heard a very familiar, high-pitched giggle from in between two shops.

Hermione turned towards the small alleyway just in time to hear the giggling voice coo, "Oh, Remy..."

Remus and Patricia were locked in an airtight embrace and kissing furiously. The same kind of embrace that Hermione knew made a girl's heart race and made a burning sensation start in her stomach.

Before either snogging parties could notice their presence, Severus took her by the sleeve and started pulling her away.

"Ignore it," Severus advised her quietly as she numbly took steps backward, trying to push the image from her mind. "It gets better with time," Severus promised.

"HIS NAME IS _REMUS_!" Hermione exploded to no one in particular, in the middle of the street. "R-E-M-U-S!" she spelled out loudly, her hands gripping her hair in frustration.

She hadn't really expected her friend and his girlfriend to hear.

"Hermione?" a voice called out from the alley. But no one emerged. Remus sounded unsure and was calling out experimentally.

Severus motioned for her keep quiet and yanked at her sleeve to leave again. Only this time he yanked enough that the fabric slid upward.

Just as Patricia poked her head out from behind the wall to investigate who shouted out her boyfriend's name. At first she looked confused, like "why is Hermione Black shouting about how to spell my beau's name" and then he eyes immediately locked onto the dark spot on Hermione's arm exposed by Severus's pulling. Hermione quickly pulled it back down, but the damage was done.

The bottom half of the Dark Mark had been black as day in the contrast of the snow and the darkness of the tattoo. Patricia looked like she was about to scream, but didn't. Instead she backed away from the alleyway and Hermione slowly and carefully.

It looked like Severus was about to whip out his wand - possibly to alter her memories - but Remus was walking out of the alley with messy hair and a confused look.

"Hermione? Severus? Patricia? What's going on?" he asked, confused. Who wouldn't be. Hermione looked like stone, Severus looked murderous, and Patricia was backing away like she would from a rattlesnake.

"You...you stay away from me!" Patricia said shakily, pointing at Hermione and then at Remus too. "All of you! I always knew that there was something wrong about your group of friends! You're all...you're all..." She couldn't even bring herself to say the word. She spun around and sprinted away.

The snow came down harder Hermione was backing away faster than Patricia had, this time pulling Severus with her. Remus was yelling out after her, but Hermione was too busy trying to get as far away from her as possible.

...~oOo~...

"I cannot believe Patricia!" Remus said the next day at lunch. "Making such a...preposterous accusation of Hermione! Our Hermione!" He was obviously worked up over all of it. "Just because she's friends with one or two Slytherins she called her a Death Eater." He lowered his voice for the last part. "She totally freaked out at me this morning, giving me back my sweater from yesterday - actually, she threw it at me. She's barmy."

"Well," Hermione said, trying to remain calm. "That's what one gets when they take a liking to Hufflepuffs."

"I'd hardly call it a 'liking'," Sirius said. "It was only the one."

Yeah, for now, Hermione thought dryly. Of course they had no clue that Nymphadora Tonks would be a Hufflepuff or that one day she and Remus would take part in a romantic relationship, but still there was a pattern for Hermione.

Hermione had been walking on egg shells ever since the day before. Waiting to be summoned by Voldemort or Dumbledore or both. Patricia had to be talking about what she'd seen - how many would take her word for it was indeterminable. Until there, Hermione wasn't going to act defensive or otherwise - such reactions would just raise suspicion.

"Still," Hermione said casually. "Hufflepuffs like gossip. A lot. So when she heard from her friends that I was a pureblood supremacist and then saw me with Severus, she just must have lost it."

"She's seen you with Severus before, though," James mused. "Why would she freak out now?"

"Severus and I...were...in an intimate position at the time," Hermione lied tentatively.

"_You were what_?" Sirius choked on his water.

"Yes. She must have assumed one person under suspicions of being a traitor would only be caught romantically with another Death Eater," Hermione quickly continued through everyone's shellshocked expressions. "It's flawed logic, but the house of badgers has never been known for skill in inductive reasoning. And her claims of seeing a supposed 'Dark Mark' can only be because it was heavily sowing and hard to see and I'd written all my notes in class on Friday were on my arm because I ran out of parchment and I'd forgotten to charm it clean."

So much for not sounding defensive.

"But as you all can see," Hermione said, putting out her glamoured arm, "I bear no such Dark Mark. Now if you will excuse me, I must meet Severus to study." She stood up and and gave everyone what she hoped was a convincing smile. "I'll see you all later. Remus, I'm dreadfully sorry about that whole misunderstanding."

Remus gathered his senses. Everyone else was still flabbergasted to hear Hermione had been in an intimate position with Snivellus. "Um, it's fine," he said, still a little dazed. "If she's the type to refuse to listen to reason and overreact in such an extreme way...she's not someone I want to be with."

All Hermione did was smile and then walked away.

Remus turned to his two best friends. "Please tell me that I'm not the only one who can't imagine Severus Snape snogging _anyone_, much more, _Hermione_."

"Maybe they weren't snogging," James said. "Intimate could mean...hugging. I mean, just because I give Sirius a hug it doesn't mean I necessarily snog..." He stopped in his train of thought. "Okay, that wasn't the best example," he mentioned as an afterthought.

Sirius looked homicidal.

Remus smirked. "What? Do you two snog now? That's unfortunate for Lily. The second she decides to accept James's tireless efforts, he's made a self-discovery?"

"It was all an accident!" Sirius bellowed. "The once on Christmas - when he drank Polyjuice and looked like my sister - and then last night but I was drunk! Absolutely pissed drunk!" He threw his head downward on the table dramatically.

"Whoa, wait," Remus said, holding up a hand. "This cryptic and infamous 'Christmas night' that everyone's always going on about. James drank Polyjuice to disguise as Hermione? Why?"

"She bribed me," James said. "Said she was going to steal some Dark artifact."

"I'm sorry - but I tell you that I've kissed James twice," Sirius demanded, "and your biggest concern is my sister's Breaking and Entering habits? Are you bloody kidding me?"

Remus wasn't paying attention to Sirius, though. He knew all about the Horcruxes but now that he had the reminder of them and then all the talk about Severus...something just clicked in his head.

"I need to go as well," Remus said, standing up. "I'm sorry about your sexual confusion, Pads, but I have pressing business to attend to." He was already several yards away when Sirius responded, loud enough for the whole Great Hall to hear.

"I'M NOT SEXUALLY CONFUSED. IT'S ALL JAMES'S FAULT I SWEAR."

...~oOo~...

Remus found Hermione in the library alone. He strode towards her and without preamble said, "What does Snape have to do with your Horcrux hunt, exactly?"

Hermione was stunned. "W-what? N-no...Remus, I -"

"Be honest with me Hermione."

"Remus, I'm going to need you to lower your voice," she said earneslty, standing from her seat and walking close so she could hear her when she whispered. "I'm going to need you to trust me. It's not Severus exactly that has to do with finding Horcruxes. He really is my friend. And in reality, I know where all the Horcruxes are. What I need is a way to get to them. Severus is a link, but it's so much more than just him. Understand?"

"So...he is convenient for your goals looking for Horcruxes, but you really have feelings for him, am I right?" Remus said.

"Not the way you're implying."

"So explain the 'intimate position' that you said the two of you were in at Hogsmeade?" Remus crossed his arms.

"_That's_ the piece of information you latch onto?"

"I'm curious is all."

Hermione shook her head and stepped away. "Be curious about something else. Because Severus and I, we're our own business."

...

Severus Snape had very good hearing. So when Lupin and Hermione were whispering, he still could hear everything they said from behind the shelf just next to them.

Severus had no clue what Lupin knew or what this hunt was that Hermione was on, but he knew one thing.

He was going to need to do a little research on Horcruxes.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! EVEN IF THE CHAPTER IS A TAD SHORT!

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. What do you think Snape is going to do once he finds out about Horcruxes? 3. Predictions? 4. What do you want to see happen?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	22. The Snake Pit

A/N. TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF VOTING FOR THE ENERGIZE W.I.P. AWARDS! I would really appreciate all of your support! Go to www*energizewipawards*blogspot*com/2011/09/nominees*html (exchange the *'s for dots) and click on the News tab at the top of the page and then hit "VOTE HERE!" It will take you to something that looks like a survey, but you do NOT have to make a choice for every category. Just go to the Harry Potter category and fill in the bubble for this story :)

In celebration of the beginning of voting, I gave you all a massive chapter. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Snake Pit

"I told you, Regulus," Hermione hissed just outside the portrait to her dormitories. "I'm taking care of it! Now stop being such a nuisance and get back to your rooms! I have half a mind to give you a detention just for the sake of it."

"Just because the Dark Lord favors you," Regulus said, low and dangerous, "does not mean you can do whatever you want. I am no longer your charge."

"Out of the two of us, who is Marked, Regulus?" she demanded with hostility. He gave no response. "Precisely. And until you carry the Mark, you answer to me. I am sure the Dark Lord would agree. Now go, before I do something far worse than issue a detention."

The Dark Mark was more than a tattoo. It was a source of power, yes, but it was like a heavy storm cloud weighing down on Hermione constantly. It noticeably altered her moods, which became more erratic with time. It was a coccoon of evil pressing on her, making it harder to breathe. Moving along from day to day with those snakes slithering around her arm was exhausting.

It made putting on a Death Eater persona a lot easier when you were constantly irate. The hard part was putting on a smile around her friends. Over the last couple years, Hermione went from sturggling to be a spy to struggling to be a friend.

_The greater good_, she kept telling herself. _The greater good_.

"You wouldn't dare," Regulus said, putting on a cocky disposition when in reality he had seen his adopted sister in action and really did not want to be caught on the wrong end of her wand.

"I would," Hermione said, promise in her voice. "Now, haven't you got a match tomorrow? Wouldn't want to miss that Snitch _again_, would you?"

Regulus sneered and dramatically turned and stalked his way back down the hallway.

Hermione let out a long, tired sigh. That night had been a raid on a "blood traitor" household in the country. She was spattered with soot and knew she'd have to bleach her clothes to get out the blood.

The portrait of the Heads' dorms glared at her for such an ominous late night renezvous and - probably - for waking him up.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Hermione snapped, harsher than she intended. Immediately feeling guilty and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. Just...I've had a rough night."

The portrait was of Godric Gryffindor's wife, Guinevere Gryffindor. She sniffed and gave Hermione a dark look. "You are a disgrace to the House of Lions."

"So I've been told," Hermione sighed.

"Password?" the woman with the long, golden hair said. The curls of blonde with all piled regally atop her head.

"Kennilworthy Whisp," Hermione said. The idea to use the author of Quidditch Through the Ages as their password had been entirely James's obviously. The large frame swung open and Hermione slipped inside slowly, hoping that James was up in his room.

When she saw he wasn't in their shared common room, she let out a breath of relief and slumped up to her room.

Little did she know, James was not in his bed at all.

He'd was right behind her for the last hour in his Invisibility Cloak.

...~oOo~...

The next morning, James bursted into his old dorm room in Gryffindor tower. Sirius was hanging half off his bed, close to falling off and onto his face. Under normal circumstances, James would be ecstatic to find his friend in such a silly position - the potential for a prank was endless. But not this morning.

Remus was was cuddler. He slept on his side, curled around a big pillow and was quiet. Sirius had a tendency to sprawl and take up as much space as possible and snore impossibly loud.

For some reason, Peter Pettigrew was missing from his bed. James dismissed this, figuring he probably wanted to be the first to breakfast. He was actually grateful for his absence.

"OI! WAKE UP, YOU TWO!" James shouted, slamming the door behind him.

Sirius awoke with a jolt, sending him over the edge and to the floor with a crash, just as James had imagined it. Unfortunately, though, he could not enjoy it.

Remus was used to having loud imbeciles shouting in the morning, so he awoke with more grace. All he did was open his eyes, tighten his arms around his pillow and mumble, "What could possibly be so urgent so early in the morning?"

"It's Hermione," James said with such a serious face no one dared accuse him of joking.

Sirius and Remus were alert immediately. The boy on the floor was the first one to say, "Is she hurt? Ill?"

"No." James's expression darkened further. "Worse. Patricia was right. Hermione's a Death Eater."

...~oOo~...

Hermione wasn't at breakfast. Which set all the boys even more on edge.

They all sat down, each with somber expressions, and James said with venom, "Probably sleeping in from her late-night evil time."

"I think we should give her a chance to explain," Remus said, trying to keep James from going off an a rampage, which was likely. When James felt betrayed, there was no stopping him. "After all, I told you, Hermione said she was working for Dumbledore -"

"To collect objects encased with the Darkest magic of all time?" James sliced in skeptically. "What would Dumbledore want with Dark artifacts? She's working for You-Know-Who, and you know it, Remus."

Sirius was grimly silent.

"No," Remus said sharply, "I do _not_ know that. Not yet. While, I admit, the evidence is against her -"

"Way against her," James grumbled.

"- this is _Hermione_ we're talking about," Remus finished, ignoring James's quip. "She is our _friend_. Our _sister_. A _Marauder_."

"She is a traitor," James hissed, the pain and anger prominent in his hazel eyes.

"Not yet, she isn't," Remus practically growled. "I refuse to believe such a heinous accusation of her until I have proof."

"I saw her with Regulus, Remus! I heard their conversation!"

"Something doesn't add up for me," Remus refuted.

"I understand you're losing more than a friend, Remus -"

"I'm not losing anyone because I haven't given up on her yet."

"Don't be blind!" James snapped.

"Why are you so ready to condemn her?"

"Why are you so eager to let her get away with being a bloody Satan follower?"

"Because I know she isn't!"

"You've always been the smart one!" James said, his face red. "Why the hell are you letting your heart take presidence over your head? You didn't see her, Remus, but I did. She was covered with blood and dressed in black robes. In her hand was a Death Eater mask. How much more proof do you need?"

"_Shut the fuck up_!" Sirius finally broke in, his first words in a long time. His voice was heavy, thick, and raspy. "You both are _idiots_. _My sister_. _Is not. A. Death Eater_." His body was practically trembling with the wrath swirling in his obsidian eyes.

"Sirius -" James began.

"You shut your stupid fucking mouth, James Potter," Sirius shot out. He stood up. "You don't know Hermione - not the way I do. Sometimes I wonder if you know her at all. And you." He turned to Remus. "I cannot believe you kept something about my sister away from me. I can't believe you let her hunt down dangerous artifacts without telling me."

Sirius faced them both now. "If either of you were any less obtuse, you'd have put two and two together by now. Remus says she's working for Dumbledore - has for years. James says he heard her in Death Eater robes, talking to Regulus. Isn't it obvious?"

The werewolf and the Animagus just stared at Sirius.

Sirius braced his hands on the table, leaning down to whisper with vehemence to them, "She's a _spy_."

...

Skipping classes was no novelty to the Marauder boys. Maybe for Remus, but not for Sirius and James and they figured that this was a matter of life or death. Hermione still hadn't been spotted that day and they'd swept through the entire library for her instead of eating breakfast. They were all too tense to eat anyway.

Classes were starting and they figured they needed to talk to the one person who seemed to know more than Hermione.

The gargoyle guardian of Dumbledore's office asked for a password.

James, Head Boy who was privy to such information, said, "Toffee Elephant Ears."

The gargoyle accepted the passcode and opened up the staircase for the three boys to sprint up. Sirius was the fastest and the first to knock hard on the door. The door swung open of its own will and the three boys were stunned to find they weren't the only ones wanting to meet with the headmaster.

Sitting at the two chair in front of the grand desk were Severus Snape and Hermione Black.

Hermione tried not to gasp when she saw her best friends standing in the doorway. Especially at James's expression.

James strut in boldly, and said, "I'm assuming they're being expelled, yeah? Finally got caught for being Death Eater scum?"

"As always, Potter only proves how daft a person can be," Severus droned blandly. "I cannot say I approve of your designation as Head Boy."

"Enough, Misters Snape and Potter," Dumbledore said soothingly. "I do believe all six of us need to have a nice long chat."

...

"Well, now I feel like a bloody prat," James huffed.

"That may have something to do with the fact that you are," Snape purred.

"You watch your mouth, you snake -"

"James," Dumbledore said, the smallest of warnings in his tone.

"So, let me get this straight," Remus said slowly. He was leaning againt the mantle over the fireplace, his arms crossed. He was still calculating all the information. "Sirius was right and Hermione is a spy, but...I'm still confused as to when Snape got involved in all of this."

"Only recently did Mr. Snape come to me," Dumbledore said, "and ask to be part of the plan to bring down Lord Voldemort."

Snape let out an audible hiss at the sound of his master's name.

"Apparently," Dumbledore said, "he overheard a conversation between you and Miss Black, Remus, that made him go investigating Horcruxes. Once he gathered the information, he confronted Hermione about her involvement."

"I may have..." Hermione said very quietly, "let more slip than I intended."

"She panicked," Snape said dryly. "The look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. I very nearly went to the Dark Lord and expose her, but she and I came to an agreement."

"Which led to an agreement with he and I," Dumbledore explained.

"And how do we know he's not just a snake in our bosoms?" Sirius demanded, never shirking on a chance to use the word "bosom".

"Hermione is, ironically, one of Voldemort's most trusted followers," Dumbledore said carefully. "She knows everything that goes on in the workings of the Death Eaters. If Severus was advised to become a spy, she would know."

"It seems like an awful lot to risk," James observed with his last traces of suspicion. "Every breath you two take is a risk. What would make either of you agree to that?"

"We have our reasons," Hermione said softly. Snape gave a short nod in agreement, clearly displaying that this topic was off-limits for both of them.

"Well, then, there's only one order of business left," Sirius said, a slow grin spreading across his face.

_Oh, no_, everyone thought simultaneously.

"This Order of the Phoenix thing," the Sirius Black went on with that eager grin, "where do we sign up?"

...~oOo~...

A massive amount of pressure lifted off of Hermione with a great deal of nerves was dropped on her in unison. On one hand, the relief of no longer having to keep such a massive secret from her friends was great, now she had to worry about them as well.

Because the second Dumbledore said that they could join the Order once they graduated, somethink sunk in her like a ship. This was the beginning of their war, the war that they'd always remember as stealing their youth.

They all left the study with a collection of revelations. Not that Snape would necessarily show it. He just turned to Hermione one last time to say, "I'll meet you in the Room at eleven." And then he swept away with his trademark sneer in place.

Left in the hall were the Marauders.

James finally said, "I'm sorry, Whiskers. For ever thinking...Merlin. For thinking you were evil." He looked disgusted with himself.

"I forgive you, James," Hermione said genuinely. "I know what everything must have looked like to all of you...couldn't have been good."

James snorted, still kind of shellshocked from all of the information. "It looked fucking awful. I thought we were going to have to turn you in."

"_You_ were going to turn her in," Remus corrected him quietly, his nose scrunched a bit. "Don't pool Sirius and I in with you. We both knew that she was innocent."

James sighed and said, "Fine, fine. I was a prick. I get it. I should have had more faith in you, 'Mione."

"Don't go letting her off _that_ easy," Sirius grumbled. "She still lied."

"For the greater good," James pointed out with a hint of pride in his female friend. He certainly changed his tune, Hermione thought with a small smile.

"Still," Sirius said, a scowl drawing onto his handsome face. "Marauders don't lie to one another."

"Hypocrite!" James shot back. "You still keep things from me!"

"Not anything of importance," Sirius waved off. "This was a big deal. She could have died and none of us would have known why or how! She didn't even tell her own brother!" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You have got a_ lot_ explaining to do."

Hermione sighed. "I can't share every detail with you until you graduate. That's Dumbledore's rule, not mine."

Sirius's frown deepened. "Dumbledore also tells me to eat my vegetables and to stay in my room after curfew. You don't see me doing any of that, so why should I listen to him now?"

"Because he's bloody _Albus Dumbledore_," James said pointedly.

"Be that as it may," Sirius went on, pointing at Hermione now, "you and I are going to be going out for lunch this weekend - just you and I - so I can berate you for everything you put me through."

"Put _you_ through?" Hermione said indignantly. "Well, _excuse me_ for causing you so much stress while _I_ was working to make the world a better place for you."

Sirius crossed his arms. "I accept your apology."

"You are _impossible_."

"I don't even understand why he's being so stubborn about this," James said, raising an eyebrow. "He knew almost right away that you were a spy, it's not as if he was all that shocked to hear you were working for Dumbledore. I still don't know exactly why he knew you weren't a Death Eater though. He's almost as judgmental as I am."

"He _knew_," Hermione said, looking her brother right in the eyes, "because he's the only person in this world that knows I'm a muggleborn."

...

_H,_

_At the hour of Diana's arrow's release_

_You will find a brother dead at the base of the tree._

_A brother raised as an animal_

_And who died for his city. ~_

Hermione stared at the unsigned note with a smile. The riddle was the amusing part. It was fairly easy. Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon and the hunt, equated with Greek goddess Artemis. The "dead brother" was a reference to the legendery founders of Rome, who were demigods raised by a she-wolf and then fought to the death to lead the empire they planned to build.

Their names were Romulus and Remus - the latter being the one who was killed for the city.

Remus wanted her to meet him at the Whomping Willow at nightfall. The riddle was clever and probably would have been difficult if it was given someone who didn't know Remus as well as Hermione did.

She picked the note up off of her pillow and folded it into a small square to tuck into her pocket.

She looked out the window. It was twilight. Dinner was just ending and she and James were supposed to go walking around in about an hour to make sure no one was killing someone.

She walked out of her room and down the stairs to find James sitting in the common room with Lily. They were doing their homework and flirting like mad. It was cute, but she still didn't like Lily.

"Hey, James, I'm going out for a bit," Hermione said as she pulled her jumper on over her shirt. She'd already put on her warm, comfy jeans for the cold Scotland weather. "If I don't make it back in time for patrols, do you mind covering for me?"

Hermione could see Lily sneer very slightly. The girl probably thought "I worked so hard for the Head Girl spot and the one that they chose is slacking on her duties, hmph!" but Hermione wasn't at all phased by this. If Lily wanted to be Head Girl, she should have tried to be smarter than Hermione instead of just riding on her natural intelligence. Hermione didn't gain all her knowledge just from going through school twice - she was constantly reading and hunting ou new information.

Lily did a fair share of reading, but just enough to be better than everyone else for that year. Hermione was reading Seventh Year material in Third Year (both times).

"Not a problem," James said with a smile and a wink. Obviously he knew something about the meeting. "Kind of owe you anyway."

"Oh, you definitely do," Hermione agreed with a big nod.

James chuckled and Lily looked confused. He dismissed it with a, "It's a Marauders thing", which Hermione knew Lily would be hearing for the rest of her life.

Hermione pulled her knitcap over her ears and left the dormitories to head towards the Whomping Willow. The note had said at Diana's arrow's _release_, which she assumed meant the very start of moon's rise.

And when she turned into a cat and ran under the Whomping Willow - she was grateful to avoid the swinging branches - she was happy she was right. Remus was sitting right there in the Shrieking Shack, lounging on the rickety sofa.

"Hello, 'dead brother'," Hermione said with a smirk.

Remus shrugged. "I thought I'd get you back for this." He held up the puzzle box.

"Oh good! You've finished a picture already!" Hermione said, beaming at the gift she gave him two christmases ago.

The photo was of the first year Hermione arrived at Hogwarts and met all of them. It'd been taken by a boy who often snapped pictured for the school paper - a tradition that ended long before Hermione's original timeline - and had appeared on the front page with the headline FRIENDSHIPS THAT WILL NEVER BREAK, with their little group as the "number one" spot in the top five.

They'd all been lounging about in the common. Hermione was sitting on the bench with a book lifted to her face and Sirius was lying across the rest of it, his head in her lap and his eyes closed. Sitting on the ground in front of them was Remus and James, sharing a crossword puzzle. It was a candid shot and now that all the little pieces were put together, the photograph was a moving one. Every few seconds, a leaf would roll across it or Sirius would lift and lower a knee to get comfortable while the two boys lying on their stomachs in the grass scribbled on their paper.

It was one of Hermione's favorite pictures of them. And dancing across the very top of the picture was her riddle:

"This ship doesn't sail,

But it often sinks.

To keep it afloat

Is not as easy as you think."

"Have you any clue?" Hermione asked.

"Not a one," Remus admitted. "But then again, I did only finish the picture about fifteen minutes ago."

"Here's a hint," Hermione said. "The picture itself is a clue."

Remus looked down at the puzzle box for a long minute before shaking his head with a chuckle. "Oh, you're so sentimental, Hermione." He lifted the box to his lips and whispered to it, "Friend_ship_."

The first lock popped open.

"One and a half years and you have one down," Hermione said with a smirk. "And, to be frank, that was the easy one. Fives years might be too generous."

He gave her a teasing glare. "I'll have it done in a net total of four," he said, convinced. "Now that I know the blocks shift on their own unless they're in the right place, I'll be able to get it done faster instead of waking up every morning frustrated to find it all jumbled up."

Hermione smiled broadly. "It's a masterpiece, isn't it?"

"It's a pain in my arse, is what it is," he said with a grin. "Just like you," he added, his smile turning wry. He looked her head-on, then and the air in the room changed. "Why didn't you tell me you were a spy?"

Hermione sighed at the turn in their conversation and sat next to him on the couch. The springs squeaked under her. "I couldn't," she said quietly.

"It's not as if I would have told anyone -"

"Not because I was sworn not to," she corrected quickly. "I couldn't tell you, because...well...I didn't want..." Hermione's voice trailed over with a heavy sigh that seemed to came from deep in her body and the ends of her toes.

"I didn't want," she continued on, her voice surer now as she stared straight forward, "for you to look at me differently." Her shoulders were rigid.

Remus's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You always look at me so...kindly," she said softly. "Your gaze is always so soft and nice and...it's hard to look at someone with so much care when they have the Seal of the Devil on their arm." Her hand curled around her arm, over her sleeve hiding the Mark.

His voice got lower and quieter when he said, "Hermione, nothing could make me look at you differently."

"Oh, really?" she asked doubtfully. "Because if I told you half of the things I've done as a spy...you'd be disgusted, Remus. I'm disgusted with _myself_."

"I'm under no illusion," Remus said with slow assurance, "that you've maintained your status as a Death Eater just by lies and deception. I know you've had to prove yourself. I know you've probably had to sacrifice a lot. I do not think that you haven't been scarred by it all."

Hermione's back was erect and her eyes were closed tight. Her hands curled into fists as she fought off the tears. "You...don't know the half of it," she whispered with a mournful smile and a scoff at herself. "If I told you the worst of it, you'd never want to speak to me again. And, Remus, I _need_ your companionship. I _need_ you around. I just...I can't do this without you. So, please, don't ask me to tell you about everything that's happened."

Remus paused and a whsiper of air escaped his lips. "For now, Hermione. But someday...I'll want to know."

Hermione nodded in understanding. If their roles were reversed, she would not be anywhere near as patient as he was being.

It was one of the many reasons she loved him.

Remus reached over to her in a way that made Hermione wonder if he was going to hold her hand. He did, but he used his other hand to yank her sleeve upward.

Hermione had taken off the glamour for her meeting that night, so there the Dark Mark sat in her skin, writhing and hissing.

Remus seemed did not look phased by the image at all. His expression was soft and unwavering. For some reason, she felt naked under his gaze at her arm. She'd never felt so vulnerable or nervous.

He ran a finger around the Mark, never touching the black ink, probably for fear of what would happen. Hermione honestly didn't know what would happen either. The only people who'd directly touched it was Voldemort, Severus, and herself.

"Hermione," he said and the word was barely a breath. "While...while you think this Mark on your arm defines you, it doesn't. And I don't like that you have to wear it, but...I love you anyway."

Hermione smiled. They'd said "I love you" so many times and she knew he meant it in a friendly way, but it still made his heart flutter.

"Remus, I love you t-"

"No, Hermione," he cut her off with an abrupt severity. "I _love_ you."

Hermione's smile fell and was replaced by confusion. _Oh, no_, she thought. _No, Remus, please don't be doing this, not now_.

"Remus, don't -"

"Stop," he said, his voice husky and hard. "Don't say anything, not until I'm finished. I know what you'll say, but I need to say it anyway. I love you. I've loved you for a long time. And it's always killed me to hear you say 'I love you too' and know you didn't mean it in the same way. I love you and care about you and want you. And I know it's wrong, but even though you've been through hell and back - even though you have that hideous thing on your arm - I _still_ want you.

"I'm not sure when it happened...this feeling...I'd probably guess about a year ago, and I don't know what sparked it. All I remember is waking up in the Potters' on September 1st and seeing you in the kitchen. And it hit me like a...like a grenade. It was just thrown at me and exploded.

"And I knew you didn't feel the same way, of course," Remus continued on a quieter note. "You and I, we're best friends. And I always expected you and Sirius to wind up together despite all your protesting, but I can't get rid of this feeling. I thought seeing the Mark would push it out of me, but I just...can't."

Hermione leaned forward and covered her face with her hands as the tears escaped. _Such a mess_, she thought. It wasn't as if she could Obliviate him again. The second she'd done it the first time, she'd regretted it, and swore to herself to never do it again.

"Hermione, please say something," he pleaded quietly next to her ear.

"I...Remus, I...Oh, God, I've imagined this moment for so long," Hermione said, her watery voice laced with wry amusement. "And now it's happening and it couldn't be worse."

"Well, I admit, I'm not a poet -"

"No, not your words. Your words were perfect," she said on a choked sob. "They were everything I imagined them to be, but better because they were from you. It's this...this thing!" She pointed hatefully at her arm. "It's this situation, this war! It ruins everything!"

"But...you feel the same way?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"_Of course I do, you git_!" she half-wailed and half-laughed. "I've loved you for years! I've loved you since I gave you that ruddy puzzle box! I love you even though your hair is driving me insane and I would absolutely kill to cut it!"

Remus took her hands away from where they were rubbing her eyes and tipped forward to press a kiss to her mouth. It was a soft kiss, a significant kiss. The kind of kiss that held a promise that no one apart from the two kissers understood. Some cultures believed the most intimate experience two people can share is a kiss because it was a language all its own and a blending of two pieces of soul.

So when it ended, it felt like a part of themselves was being torn away.

"Remus," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, resting his forehead to hers. "For giving me the best first kiss a bloke could ask for?" he teased lightly.

Hermione's heart wrenched and she carefully took her wrists out of his hands. "Remus, I can't be with you."

Remus froze for a moment. "Why not?"

"For a lot of reasons," she said painfully. "It would put you in so much danger..."

"Hermione, I can take care of myself," he assured her softly, reaching out to intertwine his hand with hers. "You need to stop feeling as if everyone's safety is your responsibility."

"_But it is_," she whispered fervently. "If I make a single slip-up in front of the other Death Eaters, or Merlin forbid the Dark Lord, you and Sirius and James..." she choked on the words, "_they would kill you_."

"Listen to me, Hermione -"

Hermione pulled her hand away again and stood from the couch. "You can't change my mind, Remus."

His expression didn't change, except for the new determination in his eyes. Like he'd expected her to say that but already knew his answer.

"I won't give up on you, Hermione," he said, his voice smooth and sure like a vow. "Even if it takes until this war is over, I'll be waiting."

Hermione looked back at him only once more before opening the door to leave. All she had to say was, "Open that puzzle box and we'll talk."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! AND PLEASE VOTE!

Challenge: 1. What do you think Snape's deal with Dumbledore is? 2. What do you think Hermione's is? 3. What do you think is inside the puzzle box? part and line? 5. What do you think will happen at the Death Eater meeting tonight?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	23. Intrigue

A/N. Here's a chapter, guys! If you haven't yet and are interested in doing so, go back to the first author's note in Chapter Twenty-Two to vote on the Energize WIP Awards!

ANYWAY! I recently got asked about my sign-off "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish" and about where it comes from. It is from the movie and book Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (the movie of which stars the voice talents of Alan Rickman). It's one of my favorite books and I just love that phrase (:

As always, Enjoy!

…~oOo~…

Chapter Twenty-Three: Intrigue

"Any last advice?" Severus Snape asked emotionlessly as he and Hermione stood in front of the Vanishing Cabinet.

There was a moment of silence before Hermione answered, "You're the most talented Occlumens I know. You'll be fine."

Severus turned and looked down his hooked nose at her bluntly.

She sighed. "Fine. It's best if you just remain as silent as possible. Which, of course, won't be difficult for you. Now let's go before anyone gets suspicious."

Severus gave a nod and they opened the Cabinet.

...

Everyone was dismissed, but almost as an after-thought, the Dark Lord added, "Except for you, Hermione."

The other Death Eaters gave a hesitation so slight it could barely be detected, but contined their exits. Snape did the same, which Hermione was glad he did, because if he hadn't proceeded normally then there would be automatic suspicion. Hermione smoothly halted and staye din the room, forcing her heart rate to stay even as Voldemort waited for the rest of his followers to leave.

"How have you been, my dear?" he inquired once everyone was gone. The circles beneath his eyes were lighter than usual and his dark eyes were brighter as well. He was in good health, which made Hermione want to cringe. Whenever the Dark Lord was feeling energetic, who knew what could happen.

"I have been good," she answered.

"Oh, Hermione, there's no need for such formality between you and I," he said with a smile. "Please, sit."

Hermione sat down and willed her body to relax. She put on a smile to give her "lord" as he walked around the table to sit directly across from her. His smile was one of ease and serenity.

"Your birthday was in September, was it not?" he went on.

Hermione was perplexed by this line of questiong, but simply replied, "Yes, it was. The ninth."

"Ah," he said with a nod. "Seventeen, yes?"

She nodded.

"An adult in the wizarding world," he noted with a hint of pride. "The Trace was lifted and you may practice magic out of school as much as you desire. An accomplishment. A magnificent one for a talented witch as yourself, whose no doubt been dreaming of being released from the confines the the Ministry."

Hermione slowly nodded, not exactly liking where this was going.

"Interestingly enough," Voldemort said, sitting back in his chair, "you've never had the Trace on you, have you?"

Oh, no.

"I'm not sure what you mean, my lord," Hermione said, feigning dumb.

"I've been looking into you for a long time," Voldemort said, his voice growing lower. His slightly amused expression never shifted, though. "But when I realize your brithday had passed, I decided to see if you ever had any underage wizardry marks against you at the Ministry and when I was looking for your Trace record...I found nothing. Not even your name. I knew of course, your existance is unrecognized before your adoption into the Blacks, but I found this curious and I wanted to know whether or not you were aware of it."

"I was not," Hermione lied easily.

"Unfortunate," he said. "You could have spent all of your summers doing whatever your heart pleased and you had no idea. Just...curious."

"Indeed, it is, sir."

"But that isn't what I asked you to stay for," the Dark Lord continued. He rose from his chair and began to stroll around the table, his hands clasped behind his back. "I find you a most interesting specimen, Hermione. You intrigue me, and it takes a lot to make keep me intrigued, especially after so many years.

"It's no wonder, though, really," he said, still making his way around the head of the table and looping towards her. "You are an exceptionally powerful, remarkably intelligent, and very attractive witch with a mysterious past. It would keep any man...enchanted. I assume you have many admirers in school?"

"Not many, my lord," she admitted. She felt nauseas. She didn't like that Voldemort was complimenting her or asking her about the boys who had feelings for her.

He smiled indulgently. "No need to be modest, my girl. Nott, Snape, and Pettigrew all have made their intentions towards you clear. And your brother - your fiancee - of course. And from what Snape has said, Potter and Lupin as well. Quite the fan club.

"And like them, I find myself...fascinated and thirsty for your company. Is that strange, Hermione?"

"Not particularly," she answered carefully. "I find your company fascinating as well."

His smiled tilted higher. "I am glad to hear that. So would you accompany me to dinner Friday evening?"

While she wanted to throw herself off a cliff at the prospect of sitting through a meal alone with Voldemort, she knew her job. And being a spy meant you just did not say no to your target.

...~oOo~...

To her utter surprise when she returned to her dormitories, she found Severus waiting for her, sitting at her desk.

"How did you get past the wards?" she asked as she shimmied off her cloaks and hung it neatly in her closet.

"Dumbledore took them down for me to get in," he explained, sounding bored. "He recommended I be here for when you returned in case you needed a friendly face. I did, however, point out to him that if you wanted a friendly face he should send in James bloody Potter, but he cared not."

"I do admit, your face right now is not one that I would classify as friendly," she confessed, giving him a tried smile. "But I am happy to see you nonetheless."

"What did the Dark Lord want to see you about?"

Hermione didn't answer, mostly because she was still computing it herself.

"Oh, come now," Snape said with a hint of sarcasm. "You and I have no more secrets."

"He...asked me to dinner," Hermione said slowly, the words tasting vile in her mouth.

Snape paused and sneered. "Surely you're joking."

"I'm not."

"That's...peculiar." She stood from the chair and walked over to her. "Did he say much else?"

"He said...that I was powerful, smart, and attractive." She scowled. "Praise that I did not want to hear from him. He also said you, Pettigrew, and Theo all fancy me. It was all very strange."

"Rest assured," Snape said with pursed lips, "that I do not 'fancy' you. Pettigrew idolizes you. And well, all I heard from Theo the first few months he met you was all about how he was going to seduce you; it was all very boring."

Hermione couldn't help but smirk. "You aren't the usual teenage boy, are you, Severus?"

"The fact I am branded makes that clear enough," he said, tapping his sheathed forearm with his long, pale index finger.

"No, not like that," Hermione said. "I'm talking about...hormones." She began slipping off her shoes and socks and placing them carefully in her closet. "Do you have normal teenage boy urges?"

"If our conversation is taking the turn into what I think it is, I'd very much like to leave," he said stiffly, taking a few steps towards the door.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "No, no! Come back here! I want to have this conversation with you, I'm honestly curious!"

"Hermione Black, you have the reputation of being prudish and yet you ask me such bold questions," he said with narrowed eyes.

"Did you just call me a prude?"

"Yes."

Hermione sighed. "I guess I am."

"No, you aren't. If you were a prude, you wouldn't have gotten Marked, now would you?"

Hermione swallowed at the reference to the Marking ceremony. "That has nothing to do with it," she said slowly. She began slipping on flannel pajama pants under her school skirt and then rolling off the skirt. "I only went through with the ritual because I had to. The way you did. It's not as if you could have possibly wanted to...you know."

"When I was taken into the room for the ceremony," Severus said after a short pause, "all I thought was how honored I was. Then I was led in and everything changed. I had my suspicions, ever since your Marking, but when it happened to me...it became real."

She nodded. "I know. It was wretched. I remember taking care of you after your turn and you weren't even conscious. I just cried as I cleaned you up...to think you had to go through the same awful things. It broke my heart."

"It didn't break your heart when Pettigrew came out wailing like a madman."

"That's because I dislike Pettigrew with a fervor you know not," Hermione answered coldly. "You...you're my friend. And I care about you. So I felt so awful for you because I knew one day you'd see sense. You'd see that everything a Death Eater does is not you. You're kinder and better and smarter than a Death Eater."

Severus let out a sigh and he rubbed his forehead. "I hate this."

"So do I. But just remember, someday, this will all be over. And you can get a job and get married to the girl of your dreams."

"Girls are stupid."

Hermione grinned. "That's my Sev."

...~oOo~...

The Marauders and Lily all sat at dinner together on Thursday night. Sirius was cramming in his Potions assignment that he had to have in by curfew to get credit for.

"I need one more function of Mandragora root in any sort of potion," he said, biting the end of his quill in the way Hermione normally did.

"Mandragora is used in a potion used as an aphrodesiac," Lily said immediately.

Hermione snorted.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"What?" Lily asked with a rasied eyebrow.

"It's just...no, never mind," Hermione said, waving it off.

"No, really," Lily pressed. "Is it...incorrect?"

"Evans, truly, the answer is...adequate."

"Adequate?" Lily demanded, obviously a touch offended. "It's correct!"

"Actually," Hermione said reluctantly, "it isn't. The use of Mandragora in a potion to heighten sexual arousal is an urban myth. It's never been proven...well, actually, it's been disproven. The few potions that have been known to cause sexual arousal do not contain any traces od Mandragora at all."

A flush rose high on Lily Evans's cheeks. Not our of embarrassment, but frustration. "I am sorry to inform you, but you are mistaken. Mandragora is used a s supplementary ingredient in Tobbywong Potion."

"Tobbywong Potion's purpose is as a relaxant," Hermione corrected her. "An alleged side-effect of Tobbywong is sexual arousal, but as I said, these claims are not proven. But if Sirius wishes, a perfectly suitable notation in his essay could be the _possibility_ of Mandragora having these properties."

"It's not a possibility, though," Lily said with a humorless laugh, her teeth clenched. "It's _true_."

"I don't know if I find this battle of the minds boring or freskishly sexy," Sirius murmured to Remus next to him.

"It's definitely the latter," James said out of the side of his mouth as the girls continued to bicker. "Two girls who have often made appearances in my dreams are arguing about sex potions. Could not be better."

Remus shot them both admonishing glares.

Hermione went on, visibly losing her patience, "...the research has shown -"

"What bloody research?" Lily snapped.

"Famous Potioneer Vincent Corkwatch has done the experiments and they've all made clear that Mandragora has _no such properities_!"

"Oh really?" Lily asked with a sneer. "Or maybe you just tested them out for yourself and found that nothing you do could possibly make a boy like you?"

"_Oooh_..." all three boys said emitted lowly.

Hermione's glare darkened. "At least I don't string them along like puppets to manipulate at will."

James muttered, "Did Hermione just say I was a puppet?"

"She did," Remus said.

"Mostly because you are," Sirius added.

"Isn't it you who has been on and off with your own brother for four years?" Lily shot back.

"We're not actually siblings," Sirius sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't act like you know a thing about it," Hermione growled. "If you hadn't been torturing poor James forever, you'd know a little bit more about us, but seeing as you were being a manipulative witch you don't have any right to make any observations about Sirius or I - or even Remus or James. Because you don't _know _us, Evans, and you _never will_."

"It doesn't take an insider to see how you treat the boys like toys."

"Oh, I apologize," Hermione said with mock confusion. "Am I an ugly girl like you stated in the beginning of this conversation or a slag like you are now saying I am? Because while you claim to know so much about me and my friends, you seem to be changing your accusatons pretty quickly. So which is it? Am I a prude or a whore?"

Lily was boiling. Her face was as red as her hair and her green eyes were gleaming with malevolence. But she said nothing.

"Hypotheses based on evidence," Hermione went on with a touch of smugness at rendering the redhead speechless, "should remain consistent and clear. Have you ever thought maybe that's why I'm Head Girl and you aren't?"

The small moan of, "You really shouldn't have brought that up..." from James went unnoticed by everyone.

Remus and Sirius were riveted. It was like watching a really bloody Quidditch match. You didn't want to watch...but you just had to.

"You. Me. A duel. Tomorrow night," Lily hissed.

"I'm sorry, but I am otherwise engaged tomorrow evening," Hermione said tightly.

"Then I guess you won't have a problem with dueling right now, then," Lily said, her hand moving to the place in her robes where she kept her wand.

"You really don't want to do that," Sirius warned with a humorless laugh. "I'm serious, Evans."

"Just because you practically worship her doesn't mean she's all she's cracked up to be," Lily hissed.

"I won't duel you now," Hermione said, "because I have no interest in getting detention. I have a reputation as Head Girl to keep up and while you don't have such responsibilities" - Hermione's smile was that of a shark's - "I do. So I will thank you to get your hand away from your wand before I write you a discipline report."

"You. Wouldn't. Dare."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Hermione said with ease. "For threatening another student."

All the kids around them at the table who heard this groaned. "C'mon!" one said in frustration at the lost points.

"And a detention for tomorrow night, Miss Evans," Hermione said as she stood up. "With Filch. I hear he has some dungeon walls that need scrubbing. He'll be happy to hear he has some company." Hermione picked up her book and bag and began to walk away.

Behind her she heard Lily shriek, "_Sirius Black, what is it that you are writing in that essay_?"

A muffled response was Sirius's reply followed by a loud howl of frustration from Lily that made Hermione smile. Her brother knew exactly whose advice to follow.

...~oOo~...

The next night Hermione came back to her dorms, exhausted and disgusted. She was in dire need of mutliple showers - just to get the revolting feeling of Voldemort reaching out to hold her hand off of her skin.

The Dark Lord was a gentleman and treated the dinner as a date. He wore nice clothing and lit candles and the memory of it made Hermione sick. The food was probably delicious was tasted like sawdust to Hermione and the conversation was...creepily normal. He asked about school and talked about his own time in school. They didn't talk much about the other Death Eaters.

While Hermione reflected on her evening, over in Gryffindor Tower, Remus laid on his bed, playing with the puzzle box. He had the top right corner partially done and it showed only sky and a bird in the distance flying in and out of the frame.

His mind wandered from the box to the girl who'd given it to him, wondering what she was doing and how she was.

"Are you thinking about her?" Sirius asked as he strolled into the room. He began unbuttoning his oxford shirt and unbuttoning his jeans.

Remus said snorted. "Why, are you offering me a distraction?" he asked teasingly, pointedly at his friend's gaping clothing.

Sirius gave him a sour look. "Try your hardest not to assault me while I change into my jammies. I know I'm terribly attractive, but restrain yourself, mate."

"I'll try my hardest," Remus shot back simply, tucking his puzzle box into the drawer in his nightstand.

"Oh, by the way," Sirius said as he slid under his covers in nothing but his boxers. He reached out to his own bedside table and held a letter to Remus. "You got this letter from your cousin today. Just thought you should know."

"Um...how do you know it's from my cousin?"

"I opened it," Sirius answered shamelessly.

Remus paused. "Why?"

"I thought it was mine."

Remus flipped the opened envelope over and said, "It says 'Remus John Lupin' in large letters on the back."

"Oh, how silly of me," Sirius said, sounding remorseless.

"So...you opened my letter?"

"I always read your post."

"Since when?" Remus demanded bewilderedly.

Sirius looked up at the ceiling with a calculating expression. "Hmm...First Year, I think?"

"_Why_?"

Sirius spent another calculating moment. "I'm not entirely sure, actually."

Remus was too tired to care about Sirius's stupid little quirks. "Goodnight, Sirius."

"Goodnight, Moony. Let your cousin know I'm sorry about his cat dying."

…~oOo~…

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. How would you feel if Sirius opened YOUR post? Hehe! 3. Have you voted? (; 4. We're getting closer to finding out about the Dark Mark, any last minute guessing?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	24. Provoked

A/N. Okay, so I'm taking a little bit of fanfiction license with this one. James Potter, according to JKR, was a Chaser. I, however, am making him a Seeker. I just like him in that position better, I don't know why. Sirius is a Chaser (even if it was never said that he played Quidditch on the Hogwarts House teams). So, yes, this is another instance where I have deviated from JKR's original format.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like playing Quidditch.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-Four: Provoked

The day was stormy and dark. It was what James called "Perfect Quidditch Weather". The boy was barmy, he loved nothing more than being up in the sky and seventy percent more likely to be struck by lightning.

The game watchers didn't exactly enjoy the storm quite as much as their Seeker. Not even Sirius, who'd shot the bludger through a hoop twice already didn't seem to be enjoying it. The rain was terrential and was "ruining his hair" as Hermione was sure her brother would complain about later. James looked like he was having the time of his life, doing fancy loops and twirls and flips and hand-stands while he should have been hunting for the Snitch.

"What is he doing?" Hermione shouted over the roar of the crowds and thunder.

"I have no clue!" Remus yelled back. He was soaked through, his hands dug deep into his coat pockets and he kept adjusting his collar to stay up to protect his neck - which became a moot point because it too was sopping wet.

On top of being stuck out in the rain for a Quidditch match that was lasting a bit longer than usual, that night was the full moon. Madam Pomfrey didn't even want him to watch the match and to rest in preparation, but he wanted to be there for his friends.

And there was always the plus of being packed onto the stands like sardines right up against Hermione. The rain and the symptoms of the moon weren't so bad when he had her warmth pressed into him. The sides of their bodies were perfectly aligned and flush as they stood and cheered Gryffindor on.

Remus was in the middle of clapping when a small pair of hands suddenly snapped out and grabbed his wrists.

"Your hands are freezing!" Hermione said in shock.

"I've been casting warming charms, but the rain sort of negates their effect," Remus explained with a shrug. Even magic had its limits.

Hermione grinned. "Let me introduce you to the Muggle way," she said with a laugh. She cradled his icy hands between hers and began rubbing back and forth and breathing on them.

Remus was suddenly very warm from head to toe and it really had nothing to do with how Muggles warmed their hands.

Out on the pitch, Regulus was having one hell of a time. His long, wet black hair kept whipping in his face with the howling wind. At one point the harsh gusts hit him like a train and nearly knocked him off his broom.

The fact that he was having such a hard time looking for that Snitch while James just did his stupid little broom tricks did not make it much better.

Sirius made another goal and the house of lions went wild while across the way, Slytherin house loudly booed and cursed and stomped. A lot of the student in green and silver began taking their leave, "done with this rubbish" and whatnot.

"Better get that Snitch, brother!" Sirius cackled as he swooped past Regulus. "Before it's too late!"

Regulus snarled and clenched his hands around the broomstick until his knuckles were white. "I HAVE NO BROTHER!" Regulus roared back.

Sirius stopped his broom right up next to his brother and laughed. "Oh, Reg, deny it all you like, but looking at you is like looking in a smaller, weaker, far less handsome funhouse mirror." Hooting with laughter, his zoomed away, leaving Regulus red-faced and furious.

Hermione, from far away, saw this exchange and expected that Sirius was taunting their younger brother.

"I really wish Sirius wouldn't provoke Regulus," Hermione said with a frown.

Remus shrugged. "It's what Sirius does best. Provoking those who he knows he'll get a rise out of. Five galleons says Regulus loses it."

"Regulus is smarter than anyone gives him credit -"

And that's when they saw Regulus bolt right after Sirius in a vengeful blur of green uniform and black hair.

Remus grinned at an aghast Hermione. "What was that you were saying, again, Whiskers?"

Everyone had turned their attention to the brotherly clash going on high about their heads. It started with Regulus purposely crashing into Sirius, to which Sirius rammed into him back. As most know, it isn't the easiest thing to have a physical altercation while on broomsticks. It was a bunch of crashing and grabbing and pulling and grunting. Their swearing could be heard over the thunder's roll and cracking lightning.

Hermione covered her face and groaned. "I can't watch! They're going to kill each other!"

Remus wrapped his arm comfortingly around her shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze, but really didn't know what to say - mostly because she was right.

Regulus was having a hard time at getting the upperhand. The younger Black was slighter than his brother and therefore was having a difficult time at gaining leverage in their broom battle.

Finally, using all of his weight against him, Regulus slammed into Sirius around the stomach, causing both of them to be knocked from their perches.

As her both of her brothers plummeted towards the earth, Hermione screamed, "NO!"

...

Not even crashing to the ground from a hundred feet stopped the Black brothers from fighting. The second they regained consciousness and found themselves strapped to gurneys and being ran to the Infirmiry they began their loud cursing and squabbling again. Sirius fought his restraints and Regulus sneered and used the fowlest language the medi-witch had heard in ages. She repeatedly told them to stop and eventually cast a silencing charm on them.

When the silencing charm just made them fight their restraints more - even with their broken bones - she put a sleeping charm on them.

Regulus, who'd given way to silent and stewing fury and pain, was being wrapped up and taken care of when Hermione, Remus, and James all bursted into the Hospital Wing, soaking wet and looking worried out of their minds.

Sirius had roused from his sleep and was growling and hissing and wiggling against his invisible ropes that tied him to the bed.

"Sirius Black! You have five broken bones! Stop your squirming this instant!" Madam Pomfrey snapped. Then she spotted the visitors and shook her head. "All of you, out! Come back in two hours!"

"Two hours?" James demanded. "It will be past curfew!"

"Then come back tomorrow morning!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in exasperation, hurriedly wrapping Regulus's arm.

"But they're her brothers, ma'am," Remus said, trying to reason.

Hermione looked absolutely distraught, biting her lip so hard the skin was on the edge of breaking.

"If you don't let my sister see me," Sirius bellowed, "she's going to jump off the Astronomy Tower with worry for her big brother!"

"Shut it, you ponce!" Regulus snarled. "She'd be more worried about _me_ than your sorry arse!"

"Both of you, stop it!" Hermione shrieked before Madam Pomfrey could. "I honestly don't feel bad for either of you! You are both at fault for this stupid mess! One of you could have _died_!"

Hermione marched out of the room, looking stormier than the sky outside. She was only a few steps out of the infirmiry when she ran into Severus.

"Hermione, you look homicidal," he commented like he would on the weather or a species of newt.

"I sort of am," she confessed. "What are you doing?" She eyed the collection of vials in his hands.

"Slughorn asked me to brew the potions Madam Pomfrey requested," he said. "So I am bringing them to her. Am I correct in assuming they're for each of your idiot brothers?"

"Yes."

His frown deepened. "I knew I should have added something..._special_ for them. Oh, well. Too late now, I suppose. Goodbye, Hermione." He skulked past her and slid into the Infirmiry doors.

A few moments later, James and Remus emerged from the same doors and jogged to catch up with Hermione.

"You should have stuck around, Hermione," James said. "Sirius was in a right jolly mood to hear he had Snivellus to thank for his pain potions. Too bad he won't be well enough for tonight, eh, Moony?" And with a broad grin, he let out a loud, very well mimicked wolf howl.

"He's just high off of victory," Remus said at James's frivolity.

"Not like he deserves it," Hermione said. "Slytherin _had_ to forfeit because they're Seeker went mad - _not_ because your flying expertise and circus tricks had anything to do with it!"

"I'm going to let you in on a secret," James said with a wink. "The Snitch was in my pocket the entire time."

...~oOo~...

_"Really, guys," Remus told them firmly. "I know you're both worried about Sirius. I'll survive the full moon without you two."_

_"But, Remus -" Hermione started, but he held up a hand._

_"I'll be fine, 'Mione," he promise._

_James didn't look thrilled either. "Mate, it's not a big deal. It's not like we're able to see him tonight."_

_"Tomorrow you guys need to have gotten enough sleep to visit him before classes," Remus said simply. "You need to sleep. Anyway, in case you two have forgotten, there was a time where I went through every full moon alone." He gave them a reassuring smile. "Please, trust me on this."_

_James let out a long sigh and walked away, shaking his head. He didn't like this one bit._

_Hermione and Remus stared at one another. She walked up to him and affectionately ruffled his shaggy hair. She chuckled and said, "I wish you'd let me cut all of this."_

_He shook his head. "Sirius and I have a pact. We can't cut our hair."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "Until...when?"_

_"It's a secret." Remus gave her a lopsided smile that tugged at her heartstrings._

_Hermione reached up and pecked him on the cheek._

Now Hermione just had more to worry about. She laid across the sofa in the Head dorms' common room with a book she'd abandoned reading a long time ago lying open across her chest.

Sirius and Regulus were both injured and in the hospital wing and Remus was in the Shrieking Shack getting ready to go through his transformation alone. If Remus had thought she was going to get any sleep, he was wrong. Oh-so, very wrong. Hermione would be lucky if she could even lie in bed for more than an hour.

She heard heavy footsteps come rapidly down the stares and she propped herself up to see James enter the common room, his Invisibility Cloak hanging over his shoulder and making that half of his body...well...invisible.

"I'm going to sneak into the Infirmiry and spend the night with Sirius," James said. "You want to come?"

Hermione sighed. "No. I think if I were to come, I'd start screaming at him and blow our cover."

James grinned. "Fair enough. I'll see you later, Whiskers."

"Goodnight, Prongs," she said with a small wave and smile.

Hermione began trying to occupy her time. She read through the rest of her Magical History textbook and found that she could nearly recite it. She opened the newest edition of Hogwarts, A History and once she got to the part about a werewolf who once broke into the school way back when the founders were still around, she found she just couldn't stay in much longer.

Hermione slid into her muggle hooded jumper and zipped it up to her neck. She put on her thickest jeans and a pair of wading boots. It was still raining, though not as bad as earlier, and as both human and cat, she didn't like being wet.

Most of the teachers and all of the prefects were in bed by then and if anyone saw her, like Filch, she just had to say she was doing Head Girl duties. But still she tried to keep to the more abandoned corridors and use one of the secret passages.

Before she knew it, she was walking through the light rain. She looked up at the moon and hurried a bit. Remus had already Changed, so she'd have to go down to the Shrieking Shack as a cat.

The Whomping Willow was just in her sights and she saw a dark figure immobilizing the tree with the knot at its base and moving towards the Shack entrance.

She smiled, thinking that maybe James had felt the same way, but then up in the sky a strike of lighting snapped and illuminated the entire campus of Hogwarts for exactly three seconds.

The first second Hermione realized that their hair was too long to be James's.

The second moment, she realized they wore no glasses.

It was the third second that she realized that the boy entering the Shrieking Shack on that full moon had a hooked nose.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. What do you think Remus and Sirius' pact is with their hair? 3. Predictions for what's going to happen in the Shack? 4. Did you like Sirius and Regulus's aerial fight?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	25. The Wolf's Den

A/N. ANOTHER CHAPTER!

This chapter is going to lack comedic stuff (I know, I'm so articulate because "stuff" is obviously and intelligent word). It's a bit dramatic and I really wanted for their to be an obvious growth in all of the characters by the end of the chapter because they're nearing the end of their time at Hogwarts and have to prepare themselves for war.

Also, my FOMB, (his name is March) brought home a cat today... The idiot says "It was on the side of the road and shivering. You think I can deny shivering kitties?" -_- idiot.

ENJOY!

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wolf's Den

Mud splashed up her legs as Hermione sprinted toward the Whomping Willow. With all of the rain, she almost slipped and fell on the grass three times, but she was too frantic to slow down or care.

It wasn't until she was halway to the hidden entrance in the tree that she realized she hadn't transformed before slipping under the Willow's perilous branches. And by then it was too late. One of the thick and spiky boughs dove down and into Hermione's side, knocking her several feet. With a grunt of pain, Hermione quickly and clumsily picked herself up from the muddy ground to try run for the trunk again. A second branch swung down and she dodged it, only to fall backwards into another.

"SEVERUS!" she screamed desperately, hoping he would hear her voice as she leaped over another branch, ducking under angry limb after angry limb. She felt like she was going to a vicious, paniful pinball machine, being knocked from side to side and continuing to bounce back and up.

With a push of her legs, Hermione leapt for the entrance at the base of the Willow and narrowly made it. She frantically crawled down the dusty, cramped tunnel to the Shack, screaming for Severus.

She found Severus a split second after he opened the door to where she knew Moony was being caged.

She only heard Moony's snarl as she tackled Severus to the side. "RUN, SEVERUS!" she shouted, shoving him harshly towards the exit. Severus looked a mixture of petrification and disgust. He was too transfixed by the monster to move fast enough.

Moony was rearing up and howling. The open doorway between he and the humans was too narrow for him to get through. Remus's wolf form was very large - one of the distinguishing traits between he and a natural wolf. His huge paws swiped through the opening, clawing at his prey and the doorframe.

With a wail that shook the entire house, Moony broke through the frame.

"OUT!" Hermione hollered again.

In the same second that Severus began really hawling his way out, Moony's great paw crashed downward and ripped through the flesh of Hermione's back.

White hot, searing pain went through Hermione as she shrieked in time with Moony's howl. She went to the floor, but before the werewolf could come down on her again, Severus grabbed her roughly by her arm and

Now there was blood in the air and more than she knew the agony of her shredded skin, she knew blood was bad in the Shack. Severus was saying her name over and over, trying to pulled her with him as they made it through another narrowed doorway.

They scrambled the rest of the way out, yelling incoherently as they went.

When they surfaced underneath the Willow, Severus and Hermione ran for their lives, but halfway the Hogwarts the blood loss was too much for her. The edges of her vision went fuzzy and the last thing she saw was the ground.

...~oOo~...

Sirius Black did not enjoy seeing his Transfiguration professor in her nightgown and cap as much as he should have.

Mostly because he had never received such a vicious scolding in his life. Walburga Black had nothing on Minerva McGonagall, that was for sure. After the berating she gave him for doing such a foolish, insensitive, insane, disrespectful, illegal, awful, inhumane thing as pull a prank of such terrible volumes on Snape. After a while, she had just been spitting out adjectives that he didn't know existed which was enough to have him god-smacked.

The lecture had hit Sirius really hard considering only moments before he was treated to the horror of seeing his sister, limp and soaked with red, be carried into the Infirmiry by Hagrid - also in his nightclothes - and followed by Snape who was even more pale than he usually was.

Sirius could have sworn she was dead and he knew he had been responsible for it.

He'd freaked out. Screaming, he'd thrown himself out of bed on his recently magically-mended knee cap only to be shoved back onto to by a horrified-looking James. His best friend had been the one to fetch the teachers the moment Sirius let slip during their sleepover in the Infirmiry what he'd told Snape when the Slytherin brough him his potions.

"She's alive," James had murmured, still looking petrified. "But...she's lost a lot of blood. Moony got her."

"Oh Merlin, is she -"

"She wasn't bitten," James hastily added. "Just scratched. She should be safe..."

"_Should be_?" Sirius demanded, his voice raising to a pitch he hadn't had since he was thirteen.

"Depends..." James had mumbled. "Lycanthropy is transmitted through exchange of saliva, so if Moony, say, licked his paw..."

And then McGonagall had laid it into him, so really the entire evening had made Sirius want to throw himself from the highest hoop on the Quidditch pitch - oh, wait, he already did that earlier in the day and he'd survived. Astronomy Tower, then.

Once Hermione's entire torso was wrapped in white bandages and James, Sirius, and Severus all sat around her in pensive silence, Dumbledore said, "In the morning, we shall all have a long discussion. But for now, everyone should return to your beds and reflect on the evening."

...

The voice was apologizing over and over. It was a soft voice she recognized, but not with the dry rasp in its timbre. Hermione was awake, but floating in between dream and reality. The voice was dragged her to the top of consciousness and once she was full awake, but her eyes were closed, the night before came flooding in and her eyes snapped open and she whipped upward into a sitting position.

"Oh my God, Hermione, thank God you're okay," said the muffle voice.

Remus's head was bowed into her blanket-covered thigh. All she could see of him was his sandy hair that covered his ears and the back of his neck now and one of his large, hands wrapped securely around her ankle. She could see that his shoulders were shaking.

"Remus, it's ok-"

"If you say it's okay," he practically growled into the blanket, "I swear, I'll scream." His voice was taut as a wire and thick with loathing for...himself. "It's _not okay_, Hermione."

"Remus -"

"_Stop_. I know I hurt you. I could have killed you. Worse than that - I could have _infected_ you." His voice trembled as much as his shoulders, but not in a weary way, but in a raging way. Remus was _angry_.

"Please, Remus," she begged softly. "Look at me."

Remus picked up his head and she saw three deep scratches cutting across his handsome face. They were the wounds that would become the scars she knew so well in her future.

Hermione remembered first seeing him on the train in her Third Year with Harry and Ron and seeing those thin, pink and silver scars and wondering how he could have gotten them. And then when she realized he was a werewolf, she assumed it could have been the lycanthrope who changed them.

And then, of course, she'd met him for the second "first time" and his face was clear of such marring. Now she knew that he'd done the damage himself.

The raw slices were being held together by butterfly bandage strips. Because they were done by a werewolf, there was no magically healing them. They'd have to close on their own, and even then - as she knew well - they'd never truly disappear.

"You can't blame yourself for this," Hermione told him, looking him directly into his silver blue eyes.

"I could have bitten -"

"Yes, you could have," Hermione said calmly. "But it still wouldn't have been your fault. And I would never be angry at you for something..." And then she remembered who _was_ to blame. The curtains were drawn around his bed, but out of the slit she could just make out a sliver of long black hair.

Hermione tore out of her bed abruptly and marched across the room to the shut curtains and ripped them aside. Inside was Sirius Black propped up in his bed with his arm in a sling, James sitting next to him.

But Hermione's face was the color and intensity of fire and whatever they'd been discussing was suddenly not important at all.

"_You_! _You worthless boy_!" she spat, pointing straight at her brother. "This is entirely your fault! Do you have _any clue what could have happened_?" She launched herself towards him, but James and Remus were quick to hold her back until she had herself in check.

His head was bowed in shame. "Yes, I know, Hermione, you and Snape could have died and -"

"_Me and Snape_?" she shrieked. "_To hell with me and Snape_! _Think about Remus_! Do you know what would have happened to him if Severus or I had been bitten or killed? He would have been thrown in _Azkaban!_ Werewolf laws dictate that he'd have been sentenced to the _Kiss_!" Hermione choked on her words and had to stop a moment while she gathered herself. Her eyes were welling up and the tears were starting to spill over.

She took a deep, quivering breath. Her entire body was shivering and her hands were curled into white-knuckled fists. "Even if he hadn't made it to court," she said through clenched teeth, "if no one knew it was him...can you _imagine_ what he'd have to _live with every day_?" With every words her voice grew in volume and pitch. "He's too kind to ever blame you - no. He'd carry the guilt that _you_ deserve until it drove him mad!"

Sirius's face had never been so pale. It was the color of milk.

"I actually began to think you _matured_," Hermione hissed in disgust, the tears still rolling over her cheeks and down her chin. "How wrong I was. How could you be so petty as to risk the life of a schoolmate _and_ your best friend."

"I didn't know you would be there -"

"NOT ME. REMUS. DON'T YOU EVER THINK OF HIM? DO EITHER OF YOU?" Her gaze flicked between both James and Sirius. "The two of you always go around, pulling pranks, acting like nothing can touch you - _but do you ever stop to think about Remus_? His full moons are more than an opportunity for you to play and be animals for a few after-curfew hours! _He goes through pain you'll never know and you trivialize it, treat it like a bloody game_!"

"Hermione..." a strained, sad voice said behind her.

"Quiet, Remus," she said. "They need to hear this." She spun back on her brother. "I should _skin_ you for what you did."

"_Hermione_," Remus said, firmer. His voice was dry and he was right behind her. "You're...bleeding."

Hermione twisted her neck and saw the blood coming through her bandages and staining her hospital gown. Moving so much and attacking Sirius probably stretched the wounds open even under all the bandages.

"I'm fine, Remus," she said softly, still crying. She looked back to her brother sadly and opened her mouth to say something more, but closed it and shook her head. She turned around and began to pad away, barefoot on the cold hospital wing floor.

Once Hermione was back to her bed, she sat on the edge of it and dropped her face into her hands to cry. James must have closed the curtains again because she she glanced up she could no longer see Sirius or him.

Remus was standing a few feet away hesitantly. He obviously didn't want to impinge on her personal space when she was so distraught.

Knowing that he wouldn't be coming any closer, she slid off the edge of her cot and shuffled over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his ribs, burrowing her face into his hard chest.

"God, Hermione," he rasped, winding his arms around her shoulders and her lower back and pulling her in tighter. He'd needed her close - he had since he woke up in the Shrieking Shack - but he had no idea how to communicate that to her. He was so convinced she in abhorrence of him, but he should have known better from Hermione.

"I'm so sorry, Remus," she whispered. Her tears were wetting the front of his t-shirt and neither cared. "I should have -"

"Hermione," he said slowly, puzzlement in his tone. "How did you know...it was Sirius who told Snape? You'd been unconscious all night..."

Oh, no. She'd forgotten that no one in this timeline had told her that Sirius had been the one to pull the "prank" - she just knew that from her past/future. She paused and quickly fabricated a lie.

"I was sort of...in and out of consciousness," she explained quietly, hoping he didn't detect her falsehood.

"Oh," he said simply. He nuzzled his face into her wild, sleep-frizzy hair and breathed her in. But he wasn't sure whether or not she fully believed him.

...~oOo~...

Sirius narrowly missed being expelled. The only reason he wasn't was because in order to expel a student, there had to be documentation of why. That "why" would expose Remus's condition and his position in the school would be jeopardized and Dumbledore would be put in a difficult place. He would be hated for allowing a werewolf among minors and Remus would be tarred and feathered.

Sirius couldn't even be given an obscene amount of detentions, also because of documentation. The most without have to fill out forms was two weeks - and that's what he was given.

"And I do believe, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said with the most somber expression anyone had every seen him wear, "that Professor McGonagall and Miss Black gave you - and will continue to give you - enough castigation for a lifetime."

Everyone silently agreed with that.

The Marauders temporarily disbanded for two entire months. Everyone in the school saw this happen and all were extremely curious as to how the obnoxious and lively Padfoot became a sullen and depressed Sirius or how his attached-to-hip sister, the know-it-all swot, found no joy in correcting anyone anymore.

During their "break" Hermione was the one to go through the full moons with Remus. James and Lily became official boyfriend and girlfriend and got very close. Sirius decided that if his best friend was going to snog Evans instead of hang out with him, he was going to find some girls of his own to snog. He always had his reputation for snogging the random girl and never leaving any evidence of it - so much that when the girl tried to brag, no one believed them. This was mostly do to the fact that one of the biggest appeals of Sirius Black was that he didn't seem to notice girls at all and never reacted to their advances - it was a big advocate to the bad boy persona.

But now Sirius was snogging a different girl every other day, taking the free day between girls to hang out with James and Lily.

Remus and Hermione would almost always be found in the library in almost complete silence. One of the biggest theories among the student body was that Remus and Hermione's "romance" came between the brother and sister, and thus between the entire group.

They had no clue it had been something much more severe.

At the end of these two months, Hermione invited Remus to come to her common room to study for the night because it was much quieter than Gryffindor Tower. They walked through the portrait and found none other than their other lost Marauders, sitting on the couch.

Remus and Hermione stopped in their tracks as they stared at Sirius and James and they stared back.

With a deep breath, Sirius stood up and said with strength and sincerity, "I'm sorry, Remus. And I'm sorry, Hermione."

Without pause, Remus walked over to Sirius and gave him a firm pat on his shoulder. "I forgive you, Padfoot."

Everyone looked to Hermione. James looked with a cringe, bracing himself for another of her famous freak-outs. Sirius looked afraid that he'd lost her forever. But Remus looked to her with a small smile, knowing exactly what she'd say.

Hermione sighed. "Fine. I forgive you too. Not because I want to, but because of peer pressure."

Sirius let out a relieved breath. "Thank Merlin's shorts for that. I have a Potions essay that I'll never be able to finish without you."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! AND VOTE (check chapter 22 for voting details)!

Challnge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Is there anything you want to see in upcoming chapters? 3. Favorite character and couple?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	26. Hats, Trains, and Blood Money

A/N. So, here's a chapter that kind of explains what's going to be going on and whatnot. A lot of you wanted to see Voldemort - so here he is in all of his creepiness. You also wanted to see some kind of friction (good or bad) between Hermione and Remus - so here you go.

Any questions you have about the last little bit of this chapter - I suggest you may want to hold them off because they will without a doubt be cleared up in the next chapter, I promise.

As always, enjoy!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-Six: Hats, Trains, and Blood Money

"I hate these hats."

"Yes, Sirius," Hermione said with an exhausted sigh. "You've expressed your dislike for the hats quite thoroughly. Now, please, shut up while I fix Remus's."

Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall on the final day of term. The next morning they'd all be leaving for the train and saying their goodbyes. No one wanted to sit quite yet because that would bring on the reality that it was the last feat of the year.

It was an especially emotional time for the Seventh Years who were all gripping one another tightly and crying. The Marauders were having an easier time of it all. After all, they knew they'd be seeing one another often, at least every Sunday for dinner at the Potters'.

Hermione was positioning the hat on Remus's head, which wasn't easy because he still had cut his hair. She was pulling it down and murmuring sticking charms to get it to stay in the right place. He just kind of stood there while she did this and stared down at her. He would have done it himself, but he'd never pass up on having Hermione so close or feeing her fingers in his hair.

Sirius was standing by impatiently, tugging on his own pointy hat and yanking it. "I feel like a dunce in this hat."

"Sirius, you _are_ a dunce," Remus said factually. His eyes remained fixed on the girl on front of him, though.

Sirius scowled and opened his mouth to retort when he saw something out of the corner of his eye and let out a bark of laughter before wolf whistling. Remus and Hermione turned to see what he was looking at and found Lily and James locked in an embrace and kissing enthusiastically.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. Sure, she couldn't stand Lily, but at least James was happy and everything was going as it should.

"At least it's over for you, Hermione," Sirius laughed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, dropping her hand to her sides, satisfied that the hat was straight on Remus's head.

"Well, Lily had to spend a lot of time in those private dorms you and Prongs had," he said scandalously. "A lot of nights...long, loud, sleepless nights."

"If you are insinuating that Lily and James kept me up with their late-night activities," Hermione said, "then you are wrong. Lily always made it back to Gryffindor Tower by curfew. They were perfect angels."

"Just because you can't keep your pants on around girls doesn't mean James can't," Remus added.

SIrius glowered at Remus. "At least I don't _have_ to keep my pants," he murmured for Remus's ears only.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded.

"Just that Moony's having a tough time with the ladies lately," Sirius said with an innocent shrug. "James and I get our fill with women, but poor Remus isn't so eager to let loose."

"He's a gentleman," Hermione defended. "Not a pig like you. I think it's nice that Remus is in control of himself. Girls respect that."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sirius went on. "Just the other week, Remus had Coraline Thatcher in our rooms and she was ready and willing and they just...stopped."

"That might have something to do with the fact that you _walked in_," Remus said with his cheeks flushing red.

Hermione paused for half of a second before she said, "You're seeing someone, Remus?"

"No, I'm not," he immediately answered. "She was attracted to me, apparently, and well -"

"The full moon was last week and he was randy as hell, weren't you, mate?" Sirius laughed, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "And what is it with the excuses? It's not like Hermione's our mother, you don't have to explain yourself to her."

Hermione tried not to feel hurt. She had no right to, anyway. She was the one who told Remus she loved him and then made it clear they couldn't be together. It wasn't as if she'd expected him to wait for her - that would just be ridiculous and selfish. She wasn't Lily Evans. She didn't believe that Remus would cling like Lily's expected James to.

It's just, she still sort of hoped...maybe he would take a little longer to move on. Because she certainly hadn't.

Sirius bounded over to James to be an annoying third wheel - something he knew Lily hated - and Hermione gave Remus a half-hearted smile. "If you like Coraline, I hear she's really a sweet girl and -"

"Hermione, you don't have to do that."

"Do what?" She looked over at a piece of floor to avoid his eyes.

"Pretend like you're supportive of me seeing other girls. If you're bothered by it -"

"I'm not bothered," she told him, more to convince herself than him. "I really am supportive. I want you to be happy. I want you to date."

"You...want me to date other girls?"

"Of course I do, Remus!" she lied with a fake smile. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I didn't know if...you'd be jealous or..." Remus said, getting increasingly more confused as the conversation went on.

Hermione suddenly felt very guilty. He'd been worried about her being jealous or upset! He was concerned about her reaction and if that was holding him back...Hermione felt awful.

"Remus," she said with a gentle smile, reaching her hand up to touch the side of his face in a friendly manner. "I would not be upset or jealous if you saw other girls. You have no obligation towards me. Please, it would bring me joy if you had a girlfriend."

"When I told you I'd wait for you until the war is over, I wasn't just saying that," Remus said, bring up his own hand to hold hers to his face when he felt her begin to pull away. "You're doing it again, Hermione, you're pushing me away -"

"I'm not, Remus, I just want you to be happy -"

"I _am_ happy," he firmly cut in. "As long as I have you, I'm happy, Hermione. Unless...maybe...your feelings have changed?" he asked slowly, reluctantly.

Hermione was about to respond - though she had no idea what she was going to say - when James and Sirius appeared out of nowhere, taking them both up into hard hugs. They were squished together with Sirius and James hooting and hollering and jumping around them, making the situation only worse.

It was then that Dumbledore from his podium asked everyone to take their seats and gave a speech - congratulating Gryffindor on winning the House Cup and thanking the staff, Head Boy and Head Girl.

But it was his final words that stayed with Hermione.

"As children we are expected to follow through with the decisions the adults around us make, but as we grow we learn to make our own decisions. That is the beauty of being a professor - we have the privilege of witnessing this transition from innocence to independent minds. And as these dark times draw nearer, I fear even the young will be forced to make choices that will become deciding factors for all of our futures. But as we face such things head on, I ask all of you to remember...

"As alone as you may feel, you have one another. And unity is what keeps our minds sharp and your will strong.

"So, please take these words with you on your holiday, on your travels, and wherever your heart takes you. I wish our Seventh Years good luck in whatever they do and I look forward to seeing the rest of you next term!"

Everyone applauded and whistled for their favorite headmaster and the wise words he never failed to deliver.

Hermione didn't feel comforted by his words, though. Because the same man who told them all to stick together was the reason for her isolation.

...~oOo~...

Halfway home on the train the next day, Hermione's forearm burned. She hissed in pain and her boys all turned to look at her. Lily sat beside James and looked very confused.

"I've got to...you know..." she said, giving pointed looks to the Marauders.

She slipped out of the compartment and ran right into her fellow spy.

"Severus," she sighed in relief.

"We have a little issue," he reported quickly. Coming up behind him she saw Regulus.

"What is that?" she asked.

"There are anti-Apparition wards on the train," Regulus chimed in with a sour expression. "So in order to leave...we have to be _off_ the train."

Hermione paused. "I'm not liking where this is going."

"We have to jump off the train and Apparate mid-air before hitting the grounds and our deaths," Severus said dryly.

"Are you crazy?"

"No," Severus sniffed. "If Regulus hadn't misplaced his broom, this would all be a great deal easier, but alas, he did. Now come on before we're seen."

The three Death Eaters hastened down the narrow train corridor and towards the cart door. Regulus didn't even realize he was gripping his forearm in pain, but the heat in their skin was building with urgency.

Severus wrenched open the door and held it open for Regulus and Hermione while his eyes shifted all around keeping watch. None of the cabin doors swung open and the trolley was at the other end of the train. No one saw a thing as they slipped in between the carts and found themselves in the cramped space. The three of them barely fit and there was a steel door to their left with a small window looking out at the blurs of trees the train was rapidly passing.

"I'd just like to point out," Regulus said, "that the chances of our survival are incredibly slim. We'll either fall to our deaths or splinch ourselves in half."

Severus's ice cold gaze slid to the younger Slytherin. "You say this as if its relevant."

"I'd hardly call detailing the consequences of jumping off of a train _irrelevant _at this juncture," Regulus growled.

"Shut it, the both of you," Hermione hissed, her heart thumping. "The Dark Lord is calling, there's no time for your petty bickering. Now, let's _go_." Hermione shoved her way to the steel door and cast an Alohamora to open it.

The door slid to the side and the wind hit them like a thousand bricks, forcably knocking them all back. The speed and wind created a wind tunnel in their tiny space. Leaves whipped in and slapped Regulus across the face hard enough to leave a pink mark.

If they jumped from that point...they'd most definitely be sucked under the wheels.

"Ladies first!" Regulus shouted over the roaring air in their ears.

Snape whacked him upside the head. "Not here!" He weaseled his way towards the opening, gripping onto the wall to keep from being pushed back. Every step towards the doorway took a gigantic effort. Once he did, he poked his head out and Hermione tried her hardest not to take him by the back of his robes and pull him back in.

"There's a ladder!" he shouted. "It leads to the top of the train!" He took hold of a rung and swung himself out, making Hermione squeak. The train tracks were so high in the air, one slip would undoubtedly kill Severus.

Hermione was next. She looked out of the doorway and the wind threw her hair everywhere, but through her hipping curls she could see Severus already to the top of the train.

This is suicide, she thought. Literally.

But still she gripped the ladder and began pulling herself up it. Twice she almost lost her footing and got knocked off. When she reached the top, Severus and Hermione gripped hold of one another's forearms and he helped her up and onto the top.

Last was Regulus - who took a bit longer - and then all three Death Eaters stood on top of a moving train.

They drew their wands slowly and looked to one another.

"Any last words?" Regulus asked as they looked down towards the earth disappearing under them as the Hogwarts Express whistled and puffed steam.

Severus and Hermione both gave him looks.

"Guess not," he said. "Here goes nothing." Regulus took a deep breath and jumped.

Hermione decided that those would be some pretty awful last words: Here goes nothing.

Hermione and Severus watched Regulus's fall with sinking hearts and stomachs, expecting him to hit the trees and continue to fall - but in a blink, he was gone. Not dead, just Disapparated.

"This is it." Hermione closed her eyes, reached out and seized Severus's hand before leaping off the roof of the train.

And the second she began her fall, her mind went blank.

...~oOo~...

They hit ground. Not forest dirt or grass. It was floorboards, slamming into them on their back and knocking the breath out of them. The upside was that _breath_ still existed.

_I'm not dead_, Hermione realized with shock.

She opened her eyes and she found that she was in a cavernous room. Snickers surrounded them.

Definitely Malfoy Manor.

"Well, well, well," a purring voice said with amusement. "Don't you three look...windblown."

More laughing from the Death Eater bystanders.

Hermione's hair looked like a tumbleweed and Severus's wasn't much better. The both of them sat up with aching limbs and looked around. Only the Marked Death Eaters were in attendance, and not even all of them. Only Igor Karkaroff, Bellatrix and her husband, Barty Crouch Jr, Theo Nott, Peter Pettigrew, and Lucius.

"How did you get here?" Regulus, who sat only a few feet away, demanded as he took his place next to Peter.

"I took your broom," he admitted sheepishly.

Regulus, furious that he was stolen from, raised his hand to smack the older boy, but Voldemort's voice came, saying, "Peace, Regulus. This is a...happy occasion today."

_Let's see. Today, I was forced to share a cabin with Lily Evans, was summoned by the Dark Lord, and then had to jump off of a moving train. And it's only noon. I would not consider this "happy". _

But Hermione gathered herself off the ground and took her place among the followers along with Severus and listened to what Voldemort had to say.

"Today is the day that three of our most promising comrades," Voldemort said with a small smile, "end their Hogwarts careers and take another step into adulthood. Hermione, Severus, and Peter all have proven themselves to be worthy Knights. Well done, all.

"But in the past I have not hidden my...preference towards one of these three. Young, talented, and beautiful Hermione Black has won my attention," he went on, walking around the semi-circle his followers made. "I see the looks on your faces and I can tell some of you are tired of hearing me praise her... Perhaps I dote too often." His sing-song voice was just loud enough for all of them to hear, as it usually was.

Hermione learned that the urge to vomit came often when she had to be around Voldemort, even more so when he said her name or complimented her.

"Alas, she deserves all of it," the Dark Lord continued. "I have had the privilege to spend extra time with Hermione for months now. She continues to astound me with her devotion and intelligence."

He was referring to all of the dinners he'd been taking her to, once a week. Those dinners wore her down and made her sick. She didn't like being reminded of them.

"Now that she is done with school, I'd like to spend more time with her and publicly express my affections." He turned towards Hermione with another smile. "It is time you call off your engagement with your brother and take your place at my side, as my mistress. That is...if you'll have me?"

It was the perfect move on the chessboard. He'd arranged his pieces exactly the way they needed to be. He had her caught off-guard with the sudden summoning, he proclaimed his notion around the other Death Eaters, and propositioned in a way that almost made it sound as if she could say no - which of course was impossible. Hermione was in a corner.

And she'd promised Dumbledore that she'd do anything.

And, yes. That meant this too.

Hermione numbly nodded.

...~oOo~...

"We moved in literally four days ago," Hermione screeched, "and you've somehow managed to make it look as if we haven't cleaned in _years_!" She was marching down the hallway towards the living area where she knew she'd find him lying on the couch doing nothing. "You have created a new standard for laziness, Sirius Black! Is it so hard to pick up your socks? I mean for God's sake, you're a bloody wizard! You don't even need to bend over, you just have to whip out your stupid wand! _What is it about levitating your socks into the hamper that you find so damned difficult_!"

Sirius was, indeed, lounging across their sofa with a book in his hand - but she knew that it was only to mask the dirty magazine underneath. Every time she found Sirius reading a book, she became awfully suspicious.

He lifted his and smiled at his sister. "But if I picked up my socks, you'd have nothing to do."

Hermione huffed. "I have plenty of things I need to do without your mess! Not all of us are taking a so-called 'sabbatical'! You aren't independently wealthy anymore, Sirius, it's time to get off your bum and do something for Merlin's sake!" She kicked the couch to emphasize her point.

Sirius dropped the book against his chest and sighed. "Why would I do that when I can just live off of your blood money?" he inquired, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Hermione snatched the book and brought it down over his head. "That isn't our money, you fool! Do you know how hard it was for me to ask the Dark Lord for a flat to share with _you_? It wasn't fun, Sirius, and it certainly cost me dearly."

"Why do you continue to call him that?"

"Call him what?"

"The Dark Lord. You might as well call him what he really is - your _boyfriend_!"

"Sirius Orion Black, don't make me sick!"

"_He is_!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND PICK UP YOUR SOCKS."

"No! This flat is property of Satan - I wouldn't even be here if you weren't! I'm here to protect you and no other reason, so I will live as I choose. It's a small consolation for living in a flat bought with murder gained money."

"I can take care of myself, Sirius!" she shouted. "So if you don't like living here - LEAVE. It's not as if I like it. I _hate_ it! BUT AT LEAST I KNOW THE RULES OF BASIC HYGIENE."

"What? Would you rather I was more like Remus and keep everything nice and tidy and organized?"

"As a matter of fact, I would!"

"Oh, please! If I was Remus, neither of you would be getting much cleaning done," he grumbled, sitting up and sliding off the couch to pad over to the kitchen.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded, following behind him. "If you've got something to say to me, then say it!"

"All I'm saying is that your Dark Boyfriend may have been worried about me, but if Remus were living here he'd actually have something to be worried about!" Sirius declared.

"Are you implying -"

"-that you and Remus would be shagging each other's brains out, then yes."

"UUUGH!" Hermione growled, pulling on her own hair in frustration. "FOR THE LAST TIME. THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN REMUS AND ME. THE DARK LORD IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S MAGIC, YOU DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. SO SHUT UP ABOUT MY LIFE AND PICK. UP. YOUR. SOCKS."

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! AND VOTE!

Challenge: 1. Are you at all surprised about Voldemort's proposition? (probably not, I know) 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Sirius and Hermione are living together; what kind of conflicts do you anticipate now that the siblings are under the same roof? 4. Who is this Coraline Thatcher and would you like to meet her?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	27. Empty Bottles

A/N. Alright guys! This chapter is kind of...nonsensical. You'll see why. It's sort of a filler and very fluffy. I just wanted a break from all the darkness, especially now that we know Hermione is dating the Dark Lord (blech). And I wrote it at work, which means I didn't have my outline for the next chapter, so I decided to make a little bridge chapter haha.

Sirius/Hermione fans will probably like this chapter.

Remus/Hermione fans will probably hate me, but be rewarded soon.

James/Lily fans have always hated me because, well, I dislike Lily.

Towards the end, we see our heroine feeling the effects of her trials and tribulations. I imagine sometimes Snape had nights where he went home after a Death Eater meeting and just drank himself into a stupor (wouldn't we all?).

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

ENJOY!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Empty Bottles

"But...but...SIRIUS BLACK, YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME! WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS? WE WERE SO HAPPY! YOU SAID YOU'D MARRY ME AND RUN AWAY WITH ME! WHAT ABOUT OUR UNBORN CHILD, SIRIUS? WILL OUR CHILD HAVE TO GROW UP ABANDONED BY ITS FATHER?"

Hermione had never seen a girl scramble and run so fast.

Apparently Hermione Black was a better actor than she thought. Being a spy meant picking up a few skills.

Hermione had warned her brother that she was sick of waking up and wanting nothing but coffee and some cereal only to find slags wearing next to nothing in her breakfast chair. She simply was not going to have it any longer.

Only the day before, Hermione had made is excruciatingly clear to Sirius that if he didn't calm down with the one-night stands, she'd make him regret it. Apparently he hadn't had much faith in her.

So when Hermione went into Sirius's room that morning to pick up his laundry - because that issue was still in full force - she'd seen the girl, a big-busted blonde, lying in his bed and curled around him, she made a split second's decision.

What better way to wake up his bed mate than with a little shrieking and freaking out? And to make it better, Hermione decided that that morning she was going to be pregnant with Sirius's illegitimate spawn.

As said, she'd never seen a girl move so fast. The blonde was half-dressed and through the door before you could say "love-child" .

Sirius groaned, having not even gotten out of his bed during the episode. It was too early for him to compute much of anything, let alone his sister's screeching.

"Good morning, darling," Hermione said, now calm.

"Why, Hermione? Just...why?"

"I gave you fair warning," was all Hermione said. "Now, up! We've got things to do today! We're meeting James and Remus for lunch, remember?"

Sirius turned his head to look at the clock mounted on the wall in his room. "Love, it is eight o'clock in the bloody morning. Last I checked lunch didn't happen until noon. Which begs the question...why am I awake right now?"

"Because you're a man-whore and a scoundrel, and when you continue to be a man-whore and a scoundrel you get punished," Hermione informed him, levitating all of the scattered clothes on his floor into a the hamper.

She walked forward and sat on the side of the bed that the blonde with the big breasts vacated. She looked down at her drowsy brother with caring eyes. Hermione brushed his curling hair out of his face and rubbed his rough, unshaven jaw.

"Why do you do this, Sirius?" she asked gently.

"Do what?" he asked as he shifted and moved his head into her lap and wrapped his arms around her legs. Sirius's eyes fell shut as his sister stroked his hair.

"This sleeping around," she clarified. "It's not healthy. And you're such a good catch, Sirius. You could have someone the way James has Lily and soon enough have a family."

Sirius let out a long sigh and held her tighter. "It's too early for profound, life-altering conversations, love."

"You know, for you, sex is such a flippant thing...and I wonder what happened to the boy who once told me that when he took my virginity, he gave me a piece of him to keep forever? What happened to the boy that cherished me and took care of me?"

Sirius rolled so that he could look straight up at her from her lap. "That boy grew up and realized that nothing good comes from being in love."

They just stared at one another for a moment before she said, "Sadly...I have to agree."

Sirius took his sister's hand and pressed a kiss to it, but didn't let go. For a long while, they sat there in companionable silence, holding hands.

...~oOo~...

"Remus said he has news for us," Hermione told Sirius as they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"We've only been out of school for three weeks," Sirius said. "What could he possibly have to tell us that we don't already know? I can imagine the conversation now... 'Oh, guys, guess what? I'm a werewolf. Oh, yeah, and I'm also being inducted into this super secret society to fight off You-Know-Who...but wait. You already know all of that, don't you?' Ponce."

"Merlin, Sirius, when did you become such a cynic?" Hermione asked.

"The day I almost killed three people."

"Three?"

"You, Snivellus, and Remus."

"Oh, Sirius, we've already forgiven you for that -"

"I know, but..." Sirius hesitated. "Sometimes I still have nightmares about you being carried into the Infirmary by Hagrid - only at the end James announces that you're dead." He gave a shudder.

"Good to know you're not completely heartless."

"See, when you say stuff like that, it somehow tells me you haven't completely forgiven me."

Hermione gave him a smile. "I have. Now come along, they're probably waiting for us."

They entered Leaky Cauldron and immediately people looked on with curiosity. The Black siblings, whose engagement had been thoroughly published and talked about in the Prophet that had somehow disappeared and was never updated on. Usually when people recognized the two, they never knew whether they were still together or not so never commented.

Everyone quickly resumed their activities after their brief stare and the two chuckled at the reactions. As habit, Hermione tugged on the sleeve of her cotton shirt to make sure her Mark was nice and hidden.

Sirius spotted their friends over on the other side of the pub sitting in a booth, but where she expected to see two people...she found three. And the third wasn't Lily.

"Shite, is that Cora Thatcher? She looks good!" Sirius said.

Hermione stopped in her tracks. She saw that they hadn't been seen by their friends yet and quickly began backing up. "I can't do this, Sirius...tell them I've come down with the flu..."

"The what?"

"Dragon pox! Anything!"

"Where's that Gryffindor courage?" Sirius asked, grabbed his sister by the hand and tugging her along. "I can't be related to a coward, Hermione!"

"We aren't related!"

"And thank goodness for that," he said, "because that means I can do this." And he grabbed her up against him and kissed her hard on the mouth.

She was acutely aware of James's exclamation, "Holy what!"

Wow. Sirius Black was one clever bastard. He'd seen out of the corner of his eyes that the people they were meeting for lunch had spotted them and decided to do Hermione a favor.

Of course Sirius knew how Hermione felt about Remus. It was obvious. And what better than to make Remus regret that he's moved on by making him jealous? Sirius knew Hermione was the type of girl a guy should wait forever for - Merlin knew he planned on never truly giving up, despite their promise.

Sirius broke the kiss and then waved at their friends with a broad grin, taking her along by the hand. Hermione was still a bit stunned by what had happened and was easily yanked along.

"Hello, mates!" Sirius greeted jovially, sliding into the booth to sit across Remus and Coraline with Hermione. James sat on the end of the table in a chair he pinched from another table.

"Hello," James said with a playful smirk. "How are you two doing living with each other?"

"We're doing...well," Hermione hedged.

"A little more than well from that little display."

"Wow, you two must be serious," Coraline commented, "if you're living together!"

"Oh, no," Hermione said quickly. "Not really, actually. You see, we're...brother and sister..."

The silence following the comment was incredibly awkward.

"Anyway," Remus readily continued, "this is Coraline, you guys. She was in Hufflepuff, remember?"

"_Bloody Hufflepuffs_," Hermione hissed to herself. No one heard her over the background hustle of the pub.

Coraline Thatcher was a pretty girl with hair the color of wheat and light blue eyes. She had a woman's body and her hair fell in pretty, manageable waves.

Hermione wanted to smash her face down onto the table. If she had to see Remus with one more pretty Hufflepuff with nice hair, she was going to scream.

"We remember," Sirius said with a grin, leaning back and slipping an arm behind Hermione. "You were the bird I caught Remus snogging towards the end of the year, right? The one with the rhinestone covered bra and panties?"

Everyone blushed and looked the complete opposite way of each other. At the rate they were going, this lunch was going to be extremely uncomfortable.

"What?" Sirius asked all the pink-faced people innocently. "Did I say something improper again?"

"Yes, Sirius, you did," Hermione said with a firm look.

"Oh, bother," Sirius said, not sounding apologetic at all. "You know me, always inserting me foot into this loud mouth of mine. Butterbeer anyone?"

"I'm going to need something stronger than a butterbeer," Hermione murmured, massaging her temples.

"Whiskey for my sister and butterbeer for everyone else?" Sirius asked.

Everyone nodded in compliance and he got up and went to the bar.

There was a very long silence while they waited for their drinks. They tapped their feet and fingers and crossed and uncrossed their legs. Hermione felt like spontaneously exclaiming, "Quidditch!" like she usually did when there was an awkward lull, but that only really worked if both James and Sirius were there, so she remained silent.

"So you and Sirius are...back together?" Remus asked, sounding hesitant.

"Not quite...we're just..."

" - shagging like rabbits every night, yeah."

Hermione jumped at the sudden arrival of the voice and hissed, "_Sirius_!"

Grinning like a madman, Sirius placed everyone's drink in front of them. A butterbeer landed in front of Hermione and she gave him a look.

"Oh, trust me, love," Sirius said, nudging the drink closer to her. "It's mostly Firewhiskey, I promise. This little firecracker, let me tell you, she is not just the bookworm we all know and love. She's a freak between the sheets," he stage-whispered. "Her favorite position is called the 'firetruck' - and while I don't know what a firetruck is - you do this thing with your legs while your teeth -"

Hermione clapped her hand over his mouth. "SIRIUS."

"Am I saying too much?" he asked, muffled by her palm.

"YES."

"My apologies."

James was barely containing his laughter, his shoulders shaking with the effort not to explode into uncontrollable fits of mirth. Remus was bracing his elbow on the table and covering his face. Coraline was staring down at her hands which were politely folded in front of her. Hermione readily took a long swig of her drink and found that Sirius was right - the butterbeer was laced with Firewhiskey. It burned down her throat and she fought back a cough.

"Has Padfoot got a job yet?" James asked Hermione, knowing that if he asked Sirius directly that he'd lie.

"No," Hermione said with a frown. "His current occupation is lazing around my house and eating my food."

"Our food," Sirius corrected her.

"I'm sorry, but who is the one that_ buys_ the food?"

"Yeah, but who is the one who _cooks_ the food?"

"Me!"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Okay, it's your food, Whiskers."

Coraline finally spoke up. "I've always been curious...Well, the whole school was really, but why do you all have such strange nicknames for each other?"

The Marauders exchanged glances before James said, "Uh...Well...I'm Prongs because..."

They all thought for a moment.

"James is...well endowed...hence 'prongs'..." Sirius offered up slowly and they all wanted to smack him again.

Coraline blushed. "O-okay. And...Padfoot?"

"He's got unnaturally soft feet," Hermione quickly said.

"And...Moony?"

"One time, at the Three Broomsticks," Sirius said and everyone braced themselves for his explanation, "he got so bladdered that he stood on a table and dropped his pants in front of everyone in the pub."

Remus smacked himself in the forehead.

"What about Whiskers?" Coraline inquired.

The three boys examined Hermione for a long moment.

"Um..." Sirius murmured.

"Her...freckles?" James said hesitantly, but it was obviously more of a question.

"She does this thing...with her nose..." Sirius began slowly.

"She...I guess...sometimes..." Remus tried.

"Honestly, it's kind of dirty, actually," Sirius said with conviction. "She wouldn't appreciate it if I said it in public."

"As if that's been stopping you," Hermione grumbled with a scowl, sipping her butterbeer.

"She purrs when you kiss her behind the ears," Remus said out of nowhere.

Everyone looked at him for a long second.

James smirked. "Does she really?"

"Actually, she does," Sirius joined in with a nod. "But...how does Moony know that?"

"Yes, how _does_ Moony know that?" Hermione asked. The only time that he'd kissed her at her ear, she'd wiped from his memory.

Then Remus looked very perplexed. "I'm...I'm not sure."

"This is extraordinarily weird," Sirius noted.

"Hypocrite," James said.

"I never said it wasn't my fault - but it's still weird. Now I know Moony's snogged my sister."

"Please stop calling me your sister when all you've been doing since we got here is make raunchy innuendos about our 'sex life'," Hermione told him. _Our nonexistant sex life_. "I'm starting to think you only acknowledge that I'm adopted when it's most fitting for you."

"Oh, thank Merlin, you're adopted!" Coraline said in obvious relief.

"Yes, despite Sirius's constant implications that we're blood related, we are not."

"Incest: A game the whole family can play!" Sirius announced with a wide smile.

"I think I just threw up," James said with a disgusted expression.

Hermione dropped her forehead onto the table and moaned. "That's it," she said firmly. "I can't take you anywhere. You are now not allowed out with me."

Sirius shrugged and swigged the butterbeer. "Whatever you say, kitten."

Remus was just rubbing his eyes like he wanted this all to be over.

"Well, look at the time!" Coraline said, acting surprised when she saw her watch. "Dear me! I've got an appointment! Lovely meeting all of you! I'll see you tonight, Remy." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Hermione gritted her teeth. She waited for Coraline to be out the door before she said, "_Why does everyone think they're allowed to call you 'Remy'_?"

Remus looked a little stunned by the outburst. "Because my name is Remus and it's a perfectly suitable nickname?"

"No, Remus, it's not. It's an awful nickname."

"It's just a pet name, Hermione," he said reasonably. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is! What happened if everyone just started calling you Remy?" she argued. "What would be next? Would they call me Hermy? Would James be called Jamie? And for the love of Merlin, would they call this prat 'Siri'?"

"She's really taking this hard," James said.

Hermione went on, "First Patricia and now Coraline! Are all your Hufflepuff girlfriends in cahoots or something!"

"Wow, I didn't even remember Patricia," Sirius said.

"Like hell you didn't remember her," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "You stared down her shirt half of the time, Sirius, you definitely remember her."

"It's not my fault that Moony has a thing for girls with big boobs."

That made Hermione a world more depressed. Suddenly very self-conscious about her own lack of "boobs" she stood up and pushed Sirius out of the booth. All of Remus's girlfriends, every woman that Sirius slept with, and even Lily - all had big breasts. What was it with men and breasts?

_I can't believe the only man physically attracted to me wants to take over the world and enslave the muggle race, _Hermione thought with anger as she marched out of the Leaky Cauldron.

Sirius tok his sister's half-full mug and took a quaff. "I blame Remus for this entire disaster," he said. "He gave us no warning he was bringing a date."

"I didn't think it was a big deal," Remus said.

"LIke bloody hell you didn't," Sirius said with some impatience. "You know how Hermione feels about you."

"I will never understand this love triangle," James declared. "Never have and never will."

Remus dropped his face into his hands and groaned. "I know, okay? I'm just trying to...move on. Hermione says _she_ has..."

"Well, she lied to you, mate," Sirius said. "She is far from moved on."

"Coming from the bloke she just snogged in the middle of the pub!"

"Oh, please," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "You know as well as I do that I did that purely to make James jealous."

James nodded. "It worked. Always knew we were in love, Pads."

Sirius punched him in the shoulder. "I was joking you prat! I did it to make Remus jealous!"

Remus glared at him. "I have a girlfriend, Sirius. I'm not chasing after someone who obviously has no interest in me. I'm not going to be a pining loser like James was."

"Oi!"

"Shut it, James," Sirius automatically snapped. "You know he's right. But, Remus, Hermione is the type of girl you wait forever for." He leaned across the table and glowered at his friend. "If you're going to move on, just don't make it harder on her, understand? No more taking Coraline to lunch with us. Maybe if she doesn't have to see you happy without her, she'll mend easier."

...~oOo~...

When Sirius got home, it was after dinner time. Him and the boys talked a lot and drank some more before heading to James's yard for a game of Quidditch. It was an awful match, considering they were all drunk and there was only three of them.

Walking into the flat, Sirius knew that the evening was going to take a depressing turn. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata played through the flat and he found an empty bottle of wine on the kitchen table along with an empty box of chocolates.

Walking further in, he discovered Hermione lounging across the couch, her eyes closed and a glass of wine in her hand, a very full bottle right next to her. She was humming along to the symphony and sighing every so often.

Sirius walked over to her and took the glass out of her hand. Her eyes immediately opened.

"I'm losing it, Sirius," she confessed on a whisper. "I've always done my best to keep myself together, but...I'm losing it."

He picked up her legs and sat on the couch, placing them back on his lap. He said, "It's okay to lose control sometimes, kitten. No one would blame you."

She took a deep breath. When she got home, she'd taken off her top and shirt and changed into sweatpants and a tank top. Her Dark Mark was plain as day and Sirius used to cringe every time he saw it, but he was getting used to it. It was mostly because he respected everything she gave up to get that Mark for the greater good.

"I haven't had time to get over Remus," she said with wry amusement. "I'm either playing mistress for the Dark Lord or cleaning up after your messy bum." She playfully kicked his side. Hermione wrapped her arms around her chest and sighed. "Sometimes...I'm just so lonely," she whispered, the hurt so profound in her voice that Sirius's chest gave a pang.

"I'm here, love," he told her.

"Are you really, though?" she asked. "It feels like everything is falling apart at the seams and you're drifting away and so are James and Remus..."

"We're growing up, Hermione," he told her softly. "You've just been so adult from the moment I've met you, always so confident in how you think and who you are. But James, Remus, and I - we're still learning about ourselves. Remus is confused, James is in love, and me...I'm just trying to find my way, I suppose."

"Why is there a hole in your heart, Sirius?" she inquired.

"There's no hole."

"Yes, there is. It's why you sleep with so many girls. You're trying to fill that hole."

Sirius heaved a large sigh. He wished he could tell her - he really did. But she was already worried about so much and stressed, he didn't want to make it worse. It was something he never told anyone, not even James and he didn't want to burden her.

When she saw he wasn't going to answer, Hermione sat up and shifted so that she was leaning against Sirius. She wrapped an arm around her ribs and he held her, stroking his back.

"Sometimes I just want to be held," she admitted, curling into his chest. "To feel wanted."

"Whenever you want to be held, I'm here." He kissed the crown of her head.

Hermione sat upright and observed Sirius for a moment. His hair was rumbled from riding a broom and he hadn't shaved in two days, making his jaw and upperlip very scratchy. She leaned forward to brush her cheek to feel the bristled cheek and Sirius wrinkled is nose and smirked. She smelt like a liquor cabinet.

She leaned forward and crushed a sloppy kiss to Sirius's mouth.

He pulled away and said, "I think it's time for bed. You're going to regret this in the morning." He gave her a smile and reached down to pick her up and cradle her.

Hermione pouted. "Is it because I'm flat-chested?"

"No, love, it's not because you're flat-chested," he assured her indulgently and he waslking towards the hall. "It's because if I take advantage of this situation, you'll do nothing but scream at me all morning."

"But...I need this," she pressed, burrowing her head into his neck and kissing the skin there. Sirius was determined not to let his head go foggy. "I promise I won't yell tomorrow morning."

"This is the wine talking, 'Mione," he told her as he kicked her bedroom door open. "You're just sad and drunk and want a warm body desperately because you're heartbroken." He set her on the edge of the bed, but she didn't remove her arms around his neck.

"Please, Sirius," she whispered. "I just...want to forget. It won't make a difference to you, you're always sleeping with different girls."

"It would be different because it's you, Hermione," he told her. "You're the only person I've ever had meaningful sex with and it would change everything. I like where we are right now. We're happy, aren't we?"

"Sirius Black," she whispered, "can you honestly say you're happy?"

The sad truth was that he wasn't. Not at all. He was constantly on edge because of his sister's random disappearances and he was waiting on that letter from Dumbledore that said he could finally join the cause. All the waiting and worrying was driving him mad.

She took his silence as another opportunity to kiss him. It was a wet and deep kiss, one that he instinctively responded to. Her hands crawled up his shirt and caressed his stomach and chest. He knew that the second she got to his pants he wouldn't be able to stop. As she was desperate for comfort, so was he and the achingly hollow part of him that wanted this mirrored hers. He knew it would be wonderful, beautiful, earth-shattering sex.

And so he forced himself to pull away.

"Not tonight," he told her, manually positioning her under her covers.

Hermione groaned. "But, Sirius -"

"How about this - if you wake up tomorrow morning, perfectly sober, and _still_ want this, I'll give you the best before-breakfast sex you've ever had. Deal?" He smiled at her, tucked her in like she was a child.

He began to walk away, but she grabbed her wrist. "Just...stay with me? Please? Clothes stay on, promise."

Sirius smiled because usually that was his line and nodded. He got under the covers next to her and they both fell asleep.

...~oOo~...

A/N. PLEASE REVIEW! AND VOTE (tomorrow is the last day)!

Challenge: 1. What do you think is the secret that Sirius can't tell Hermione? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. What do you think about the Marauders' fake explanations for their nicknames? 4. Who would you think Sirius belongs best with? 5. The next chapter's title is "We Do Not Live On Fruit and Flowers" - what do you think it will be about?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	28. We Do Not Live on Fruit and Flowers

A/N. Everyone, I have fantastic news! Thanks to all of your support, THIS STORY WON THE ENERGIZE WIP AWARDS! ISN'T THAT FANTASTIC? I am so honored and so happy, I can barely stand it!

On the downside, my A/C broke in the middle of a very hot summer. So good things and bad things have happened today, haha.

Thank you so much for all of your support and I hope to maybe compete in more future contests! For this one I was nominated, which was an honor, but I had fun waiting for the results and seeing readers excited for it.

To explain the title of this chapter, it comes from a poet named Ovid (I thinks thats how its spelt) who said, in reference to the mythical bird the Phoenix, "It does not live on fruit and flowers, but frankincence..." and other rich herbs and metals. I thought it was good symbolism for the Order who live off of the cause and battle and dedicate themselves and do not have the privilege of enjoying "fruit and flowers" (frivolous things a young person should enjoy)

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-Eight: We Do Not Live On Fruit and Flowers

_S -_

_Thank you for being the responsible one last night. You were right - I was drunk, sad, and desperate and I'm sorry you were caught in the crossfire of my emotions._

_I'll see you before dinner with the Potters. V is calling._

_I love you,_

_H_

That's what Sirius found on the pillow next to him when he woke up. He'd woken up fuzzy-minded and had turned over, expecting to snuggle Hermione when all he found in her place was the piece of parchment.

Lying on his back, he spent a few minutes in Hermione's bed. It was still kind of warm - she mustn't have left too long ago - and it smelt like her. Parchment, peppermint, and the smallest hint of chocolate.

He strolled barefoot into the kitchen in his rumbled shirt and jeans and began hunting for something to eat. Hermione was an awful grocery shopper. She bought things like fruit and vegetables and wheat bread. What, was she putting him on some kind of diet? He was slim, he didn't need to drink...wait..._was that bloody skim milk_? Sirius threw shut the refrigerator door in frustration and decided if Hermione's plot was for him to starve, it was working.

Coffee. He could always count on coffee. He put the percolator on the stove and let the coffee brew. While he waited, he decided nothing put a smile on his face more than reading the junk Rita Skeeter wrote, so he went to his door and found a stack of letters and a newspaper under their mail slot. Ever since Regulus basically stole Hugo, they'd been using the post owls to deliver their things in the morning.

He began separating the mail into two piles. One was for Hermione, one was for him.

Bills. Hermione.

Bills. Hermione.

Naughty Witches magazine, July issue. Sirius.

Bills. Hermione.

He found a letter to Hermione from a friend from school names Pauline. He opened it, read it, magically sealed it again and put it in Hermione's pile.

Then he found a letter addressed to neither of them. He slid his finger under the flap and slid the parchment out to find the words: _It's time. Ask W about HQ. 9. Tuesday._

At first, Sirius thought it must've been for Hermione from her creepy Death Eaters, but then he realized that it was signed with a very frilly and decorative single inital: D.

It was definitely from Dumbledore. Sirius smiled. The Order of the Phoenix was calling.

...~oOo~...

Hermione was sitting with the Dark Lord on a beautiful balcony, eating breakfast pastries and tea in Paris, France.

As Hermione rethought that sentence, she decided there was something awfully _wrong_ about it.

Once her forearm started burning, she'd promptly dressed, wrote Sirius a note, dropped a kiss on his forehead as an apology and Apparated. She had no clue she'd end up in France when she did. That was one of the mysteries about the Dark Mark - once it began burning, all you had to do was Apparate with a clear head and you were transported to the Dark Lord's side.

It was a warped little scene on the white-painted balcony looking over the French city, the Eiffel Tower nestled right in front of them. Voldemort was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee while Hermione nibbled on the pastries, but they all tasted like paste. No matter what it was, when she had to eat in front of the Dark Lord, it became unpallatable.

Being in Paris reminded Hermione of a trip she took there with her parents when she was thirteen. It was the summer Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and months before she met Remus Lupin for the _real_ first time in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

She remembered the scene like it was yesterday...

_The stranger was wearing and extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray._

_"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest from the window._

_"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once._

_"How d'you know that?"_

_"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name_ Professor R. J. Lupin_ was stamped across one corner in peeling letters._

_"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile._

_"That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."_

"A penny for your thoughts?" a cool, calm voice asked, pulling her from her reverie. "You're smiling to yourself and I find myself curious."

"Just...thinking," Hermione said, her smile disappearing. "About the last time I visited France."

"The Black family does enjoy their holidays," he said.

Hermione tried not to scowl at her last trip to France which had, indeed, been with the Black family. Walburga was in and out of boutiques, Regulus was moping, Orion was as he always was, and Sirius ate so much that he got sick. Hermione enjoyed the chance to practice her French, but truly it was quite an exhausting trip.

"I have always found France's history interesting," Voldemort said, folding his paper and half and setting it on the table. "There is hardly a nation that had suffered more bloodshed. Their revolution was an uprising of the people, where they forced their king from his throne and ended him. I admire that. The people were ruthless and did not take no for an answer."

"Sort of like you," said Hermione.

A slow smile passed his face. "Indeed. Sort of like me. Of course, as far as France's leaders go, I would not like to be categorized with them. King Louis was weak and Napolean thought it was a good idea to invade Russia in the dead of winter. Not people I'd aspire to be."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"You've seemed very melancholy lately, darling," the Dark Lord noted.

Hermione had learned not the cringe when he used pet names, but that didn't stop the sour taste in her mouth. "I suppose I've just been a bit run down."

"Why is that?" he inquired.

"I've been trying to get a job in the Ministry and at nights I'm with you or the other Knights or with my brother and his comrades," she said with a small shrug. "It's tiring, but all worth it, of course."

"Of course," he said with a nod. "Unfortunately, though, I have a new task for you."

Hermione wanted to sigh, but instead she worked to look curious and eager.

"There is word of Dumbledore recruiting," he said. "I have no doubt you'll be recruited as well. I need you to infiltrate their organization and do whatever Dumbledore asks and then report back to me."

"You want me to be a mole?"

"Indeed. I always felt we needed a spy, and now we have that opportunity," said Voldemort. "Perhaps if you are recruited, you won't be needed for raids. How does that sound? A beneficial exchange, yes?"

Hermione nodded. A beneficial exchange, indeed.

...~oOo~...

Hermione got back to the flat just in time to get to the Potters'. She slumped her way in, exhausted and repulsed by spending a day with Voldemort to find Sirius grinning maniacally on the couch.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Il m'a pris a' la France," she said with a sneer. _He took me to France._

"Oui? At-il vous se'duire en face de la Tour Eiffel?" _Did he seduce you in front of the Eiffel Tower? _He asked sarcastically with a disgusted expression.

"Ne pas etre vulgaire," Hermione sneered_. Don't be vulgar. _"Are you ready to head over to the Potters'?" She started walking over to the Floo, but Sirius appeared in front of her.

"We're not taking the Floo today," he said, the crazy smile back.

"Oh, no," she said, all the blood draining from her face. "What did you do?"

"Come on." He took her hand and Apparated them to the alley behind their apartment complex.

"No! Sirius!" she moaned. "You didn't!"

"I did!" he beamed, stroking his gleaming new motorcycle. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"No! It's a death machine! Take it back!"

"No refunds, love," he reported with an evil glint in his eyes. Sirius bent a dropped a kiss to her bloodless cheek. "Come along, we might as well try it out."

"You mean you haven't test ridden it yet?"

"Of course not, I was waiting for you!"

Hermione was fervently shaking her. "No. Nope. Not happening. Not today, Sirius Black. I _hate_ flying!"

Sirius froze. "How did you know it flies?"

Hermione wanted to punch herself. "Uh...I just...had a feeling."

He eyed her suspiciously and crossed his arms. "Hermione, how did you know?"

"Th-the catalogues you're always looking at advertise...flying motorbikes...so I assumed that was the one you got." For a spy, Hermione, you're a terrible liar, she thought to herself.

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Just...trust me."

Sirius sighed. "You've been saying that a lot lately."

"So have you."

"Good thing we trust each other or we'd probably have killed each other by now. Now, in apology for keeping something from me, get on the bike with me...please," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Hermione rubbed her forehead. He was going to pay for this.

_..._

When Hermione swung off the bike, she stumbled and hit the ground. Her legs were like jelly, her brains were scrambled, and her hands were shaking. That bike ride was possibly the worst experience in either of her lives.

Sirius was enjoying a high, though. He was giddily laughing that barking laugh of his. He dismounted and bent down to help Hermione off the ground. Her hair looked like a bush from being whipped in the wind so much and she looked like she was going to puke.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked mischievously, putting up only his middle finger and thumb.

"One, you arse," she grumbled. "The thumb isn't technically a finger."

"Oh, you're fine," he said, hoisting her up off the ground. "Same know-it-all you've always been."

Hermione, still half-dazed from the flight, patted down her reckless hair and straightened her shirt. She was grateful Sirius still had an arm around her because she would have fallen over.

In the house it smelt like lasagna. Dorea Potter was an amazing cook, but Hermione wasn't sure her stomach was in the right condition to consume anything. She thought she probably left her intestines somewhere over London.

The dining room was filled with its usual Sunday night people: Charlus Potter, James, Remus, and Dorea was still in the kitchen. They all greeted the Blacks merrily when they saw them walk in.

"'Mione," James said, "you look a little green."

"Do I?" she asked with mock casualty. "I hadn't noticed." She dropped down in a chair.

"She's just a bit uneasy from our flight over," Sirius said, sitting next to her.

"You came by broom? Why?" James asked.

"Not by broom..." Sirius said with a mischievous grin.

James's eyes popped open wide behind his glasses. "No way! You got it, didn't you! You crazy bastard!" he laughed.

Remus said, "He bought the bloody bike, didn't he?"

"Unfortunately," Hermione confirmed, sipping a glass of water at her setting slowly. The coolness of it slid down her throat and eased the nausea a little. She was studiously trying to not look Remus in the eyes - not after her blow up the day before.

Charlus Potter shook his head. "You've got to be careful on that thing, Sirius. You're a talented wizard, but there's not much you can do when you're falling out of the damn sky towards concrete."

"Splat," James said, sounding amused by the prospect.

Sirius crumbled up his napkin and threw it at James's face.

Dorea came in with a big smile and an even bigger pan of lasagna. She set it down in the middle of the table when James announced, "Ma, Sirius bought a flying motorcycle!"

Dorea slowly turned to her surrogate son with murderous eyes. She took the towel hanging over her shoulder and abruptly began beating Sirius over the head with it.

"You stupid, stupid, stupid boy!" she growled, accenting her words with a whack of her towel. "Do you have a death wish, you fool!"

"He took Hermione on it, too," James said with the relish of a five-year-old ratting out his older brother.

"No! Not poor Hermione! Oh, my poor dear!" Dorea bustled over to her and wrapped her arms around Hermione in a firm hug. "Dear girl, I am so sorry for Sirius's lunacy."

"So am I, Mrs. Potter," Hermione sighed.

Sirius was rubbing his head and putting his hair back in place from his towel whipping. "Girls are so bloody sensitive. It's just a bit of flying, for Merlin's sake. James does it all the time when he plays Quidditch!"

"This is different!" Dorea pronounced, taking her place next to her husband. "You are endangering my Hermione!"

"No one's forcing her to get on," Sirius defended.

"Bullocks!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's exactly what you did!"

"I can definitely see that," Remus pointed out. "It's absolutely probably. Sirius is always making us doing things we don't want to do."

"Like what?" Sirius asked, offended.

"Like when you made me help you cheat on you Transfiguration finals in second year," Remus said.

"Or when you make me eat that Bertie's Every Flavored Bean when you knew it was vomit flavored," James added.

"Or when you pushed me out of that tree when we were fourteen to make me go in the pond," Hermione chimed in.

Remus was adding on, "And that time that you -"

"Okay!" Sirius interrupted. "I get it! I'm an awful person! Can we please eat now? I'm famished. Hermione has been cooking a plot to starve me to death."

"I _just_ filled our kitchen!"

"Yeah, 'Mione, with bloody whole grain bread and skim milk," Sirius sneered. "How am I supposed to live of off that? I'm a man for goodness sake - I need protein and junk food in order for me to sustain a healthy lifestyle!"

"That's true, you know," Remus said. "Chocolate is practically essential."

"She bloody ate all of that," Sirius grumbled. "She found my stash and scarfed it all down last night along with all the wine in the house."

Hermione shot him a scathing look.

"Why was she drinking wine and eating chocolate?" James asked. "Was she doing that thing that Lily does when she watches a really soppy muggle film where she eats and drinks herself into a stupor and sobs like a baby?"

"Does Lily really do that?" Sirius asked.

James nodded and rolled his eyes. "Almost once a week."

"She'll get rather fat at that rate, won't she?"

"Did you just call my girlfriend fat?"

"No, I'm predicting her future fatness."

"Oh. That's okay then, I guess."

"It is definitely not okay," Hermione said. Dorea agreed with Hermione.

"I'm not all that concerned about it," James said with a shrug. "She won't get fat. She's like you, 'Mione. All wheat bread, skim milk, and celery. It's bloody ridiculous. The other night she made me try tofu. I mean, what the fuck is tofu and why does it taste so damn awful?"

Dorea hissed, "James Charlus Potter, watch your mouth!"

...

After dinner in the parlor, everyone was having light drinks and eating cookies as music played and the boys all engaged in a conversation about Quidditch, Wizard's Chess, and tried playing Exploding Snap (which ended pretty awfully).

Dorea and Charlus loved having their kids over, it was their favorite day of the week, Sundays. They loved every one of the Marauders as their own.

Hermione looked at the record machine and went up to her old bedroom for a second before coming back down with an album. She slipped it on and smiled as the song "Come Together" filled the room.

Sirius beamed. She had started making him listen to the Beatles back when they lived at Grimauld and he'd fallen in love. They always joked that his one true love was John Lennon.

Remus edged his way over to where Hermione watched everyone from a corner and said, "Are we going to talk about yesterday or pretend it never happened?"

"The latter," she answered, nibbling her lip.

Remus gave an understanding nod and then smiled at her. "You know, someday, we'll look back on all of this and laugh."

"No, we won't," Hermione snorted. "We'll look back on this and cry our eyes out."

"You're probably right." He paused for a moment. "I miss you, Hermione," he quietly admitted to her.

"I miss you too," she whispered back, the pain throbbing in her chest.

Remus paused. The song on the record changed. He held out his hand and said, "May I have this dance?"

Hermione couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from her throat. She gave a nod and accepted his hand. He pulled her to the rug and they began dancing to "I Want to Hold Your Hand".

Following suit, James bowed and requested his mother's hand for the dance to which she rolled her eyed but happily accepted.

Sirius turned to Mr. Potter. "I don't reckon you would dance with me, would you, Charlus?"

"No, Sirius, I would not," he answered with a smile around his pipe. He stood from his chair. "I might just go cut in, though." The older man with the salt and pepper hand walked over to his son and wife and diplomatically requested to have a chance.

James goofily stepped aside and then marched over to Sirius, a hand outstretched. "Come on, Padfoot, we can't be left out, can we?"

With a bark of a laugh, Sirius took his hand and said, "I always knew you were bent, Prongs." They began comically dancing with one another, the way McGonagall taught them. It wasn't easy, though, since they were both trying to lead.

Across the room, though, Remus and were stepping to the beat and looking at one another quietly. Neither said anything, just stared into the other's eyes as they silently tried to convey their feelings.

How awful it must be to know the person you madly, deeply, and desperately love craves you in the same way but neither can do anything about it.

"Look at them," Remus murmured.

Hermione turned her head and smiled. "Those prats -"

"Not them," Remus quickly corrected with a soft smile. "Dorea and Charlus."

Hermione looked to the older couple. They were wrapped in a firm embrace and dancing to a beat all their own, a much slower song that only the two heard. Dorea's head was lying on his chest and Charlus pressed his face into her hair as they moved.

"That must be wonderful," Remus said softly. "Being so in love for so long, knowing you'll always be together no matter what. Growing old with someone, I imagine, is the greatest privilege we get as humans."

Hermione nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

Remus bent slightly to whisper, "Can you imagine it, Hermione? Thirty...forty years from now? Dancing to records in the parlor with your husband?"

She just let her eyes fall shut and let herself enjoy his voice. The fantasy of the future parlor and husband floated through her head.

"Because I can," he told her, his breath hot on her ear. "I can imagine the rug and the fireplace and you in my arms, photos of grandchildren on the walls and our wedding song playing in the room."

The scene he described mirrored the image in her head perfectly and she began to wonder if maybe this entire dance and his voice was a dream.

"It's so _close_, Hermione," he said like a vow. "Almost within our reach. You have to hold in there. I always thought I couldn't marry with my condition and financial status, but with you...I might just be selfish enough to ignore all of that. But only for you, Hermione." He pressed a kiss right before her ear and heard the soft hum in her throat against his shoulder.

The song ended and so did the trance Remus had her in. They broke apart reluctantly and Hermione said, "I'm sorry, Remus. Sorry that I...can't."

Because Hermione knew exactly where she would be after the war, and it wouldn't be at Remus's side.

...~oOo~...

Side Note: The italicized flashback Hermione had in France was taken word for word from Prisoner of Azkaban, pages 74-75. I do not own that text, JK Rowling does.

Challenge: 1. Where do you think Hermione anticipates being at the end of the war? 2. Where do you think the Order of the Phoenix headquarters will be? 3. Who do you think "W" is in the note Dumbledore sent? (It's probably obvious, but whatever) 4. Favorite part and line?


	29. Piece of Happiness

A/N. Another deviation from JKR's format. According to the books, Arthur Weasley was not in the First Order of the Phoenix. In my version, he was :) Although because Molly is constantly pregnant during the First Wizarding War (haha!) she is not a member, although in the future I'm sure she'll bake something for the Order and be involved in some way, because if she wasn't such a baby maker than she would have been inducted as well.

The other day I received a review telling me my page breaks, this thingy ...~oOo~... was pretty and I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I put a lot of thought into that little pattern, actually! I'm happy someone noticed :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Piece of Happiness

"What's this?" Hermione asked when they arrived home from the Potters. In her hand she held the blank, opened envelope.

Sirius saw it and smiled. "It's from Dumbledore."

She opened it, read the message and smiled as well.

"Now we just have to ask W where the headquarters is," Sirius said. "Who do you think W is?"

Hermione was shaking her head. "I am, you git. W is for Whiskers. It's Dumbledore's codename for me - ever since he heard you call me it some time ago. It looks like you'll be attending your first Order meeting, 9 o'clock on Tuesday. Be prepared."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you end up getting a little training from Moody, you may just want to bring a few nausea potions."

"Moody...whose 'Moody'?"

...~oOo~...

"Hermione! Oh Merlin! I can't believe you're here!" Alice exclaimed, sprinting towards her old friend.

The manor house was glamoured from the outside to seem like a poor little shack, but once you walked in it was cavernous and furnished with furnished with rich colored chairs, tables, and paintings. Hermione was fvery familiar with it as the place where Alastor Moody took to training her in her summers. The small wizarding village of Mould-on-the-Wold held a dark history for the Dumbledore family, but it was the perfect place for the Order of the Phoenix to meet. Plenty of space, a ballroom fit for practice dueling, and a dozen bedrooms for members to sleep and hide out in.

The ballroom was filled with people and a temporary dais was at the head of the room. The windows along each wall were covered with heavy red, velvety curtains. Looking up caused a bit of dizziness, though. In place of a ceiling was the image of stars and comets and the moon so close one could probably touch it.

Hermione knew how much Dumbledore loved the bewitched ceiling at Hogwarts, so it made sense for him to replicate it in the second place that he considered to be a "school" of sorts. He was molding young minds to become even better sorcerers and soldiers - a bewtiched ceiling was obviously called for.

Alice was hugging her friend and Hemrione was readily hugging back. "How's Auror training going?" Hermione asked her.

Alice giggled. "Brutal. Frank's taken to whining like a school girl and all, which is worse than the training sessions. But enough about me! I've been hearing some rumors about you!"

"When's that?" Hermione asked.

"Only about an hour ago," the petite girl answered with a laugh. "Marlene McKinnon said she heard from listening to McGonagall talking to Dumbledore that you're not a new recruit at all!"

"I suppose I'm not," Hermione admitted with a shrug.

"I'll try not to be upset that you didn't tell your best friend you were in a top secret society," Alice teased with a nudge. "But look at all of these people!"

They each looked around the room. There had to have been twenty people, most of which Hermione knew. Alastor Moody, Aberforth, Hagrid, Filius Flitwick, and McGonagall. There was, of course, the Marauders - and Lily - and the very blonde Marlene McKinnon.

Then she spotted two idential heads of very red hair.

_Fred and George! _was Hermione's first thought and she nearly ran up to them and tackled them in a hug. But as she looked closer...they were both a bit older, a little less pale, and had different noses. The two were definitely twins of course.

Then it hit her. "Fabian and Gideon Prewett." She hadn't realized she said their names aloud, but they turned, wearing matching smiles.

"Yes, we are," said the man to the right. "Which begs the question, who are you?"

"Hermione Black."She held out her hand and shook hands with both of them. "I, um, met your sister once. A long time ago, though. She probably doesn't remember."

"You know Molly?" the man to the left added. It was then that Hermione realized that they each had watches that had a F and G on the face. The man who just spoke had a "G". Gideon, then.

"Not intimately." Hermione lied, "We were once introduced in passing."

"Ah, well, then you've met her husband, yeah?" Fabian said.

"No, I haven't..." Hermione said slowly.

Gideon was looking left and forth among the group of people. Then he called out, "Weasley! Get your arse over here!"

When she saw the man walking towards them, Hermione had to force herself not to laugh at the sheer surrealism of it all. Young Arthur Weasley could have been Ron's twin brother. Broader shoulders, tall and slim, hands tucked in his pockets and moppish red hair. He looked exhausted.

"Hermione Black here's met Molly," Fabian said, still smiling. "Figured she might want to meet her other half, yeah?"

Arthur held out his hand and Hermione and he shook hands. It still felt a little strange and she mentally told herself not to call him Ron.

"I'm sorry if I'm not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," Arthur apologized, dark rims under his eyes.

"Yeah, how are the twins?" Gideon inquired. He turned to Hermione and filled her in, "Molly and Arthur just had their numbers four _and_ five. Bet he wasn't counting on the twin gene to run so strong."

"They never sleep," Arthur said, rubbing his eyes. "All they do is cry and cry. At this point, I think they do it purely to run us ragged."

Knowing the future Fred and George, Hermione didn't doubt that hypothesis at all.

The chatter around them suddenly decreased and Hermione saw everyone turn towards the dais.

"Welcome, all!" Dumbledore said from atop the small stage. "All of you know why you're here and I am glad to see that all of you arrived safely.

"You are the Order of the Phoenix," he said, right to the point. "Each and every one of you has in the past sworn secrecy and loyalty. You are among my most trusted and valued students..."

Dumbledore went on to explain the general guidelines of being in the Order of the Phoenix, a little brush-up speech. Everyone listened somberly, absorbing every word with careful precision. These were not things to forget. The rules of keeping the secret of the society were to keep everyone alive.

Out of nowhere, a voice was close to Hermione's ear saying quietly, "Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded to Severus and they began slowly making their way up through the groups of people, careful not to distract them from Albus Dumbledore's words until they were right next to the dais, but still on ground-level.

"...In my experience, students learn best when they have visual aid," Dumbledore was saying. "So I have asked two of my most talented members to display what a duel in the middle of a battle will look like. Most of you know them and are friends to them. Miss Black and Mr. Snape, please take the stage."

There was a hesitant applause among to twenty people as Hermione and Severus stepped up onto the dais and then positioned themselves at opposite ends of the long rectangle dais.

Dumbledore continued, "They have been instructed that any hex or curse is permitted - including Unforgivables."

There were gasps from a few people and a nervous murmur.

"Many of you have not seen firsthand the effects of Unforgivables," he went on, "but in a battle, facing a Death Eater, they will not hesitate to use them. They become commonplace. After all, there are no rules or regulations for war, because the most powerful tactic is the unexpect-"

"_CRUCIO_!"

And thus the duel began. Hermione blocked the curse with ease from Severus. She had the inkling that he'd pull something like that. Severus was very good at using the element of surprise.

Hermione whipped out, "MUTATIO SKULLUS!"

Severus hastily dodged the hex and shot a nonverbal curse that knocked Hermione to the ground. Without looking, as she picked herself up, a shiny purple stream erupted from her wand and caught a strong ward Severus threw up. The purple curse slapped into the invisable wall and exploded into fiery sparks that sizzled in the air.

It went on like that, the two shooting colorful hexes and curses at the other with only a few grunts and muttered incantations and shouts when one hit them.

With a tight growl, Hermione snapped out, "_Sectumsempra_!" She slashed her wand at the curse left a deep wound in Severus's shoulder.

"Stupid witch!" Severus bit out under his breath. "HOW DARE YOU USE MY OWN CURSES AGAINST ME!"

There was a violent green flash.

"PROTEGO!" Hermione shouted hurriedly. The green flash changed its course and Severus ducked and let it hit the window behind him. The curse shattered thew glass panes and obliterated the curtains. The window hastily began repairing itself.

"IMPERIO!" she added while Severus was still on the ground.

Severus was caught off-guard with his near-death that he didn't have time to keep her out of his head. Instead, a voice began whispering in his mind, _Stand up._

His body automatically obeyed.

The bystanders watched, riveted as Hermione worked Severus Snape like a puppet.

_Now, twirl in a circle like a ballerina._

While his consciousness was fighting its way to the surface to push Hermione out, his feet went along with his puppeteer's voice and did a little spin and bow.

There were hesitant chuckles from the audience, but one big bark of laughter from Sirius Black who said proudly, "That's my sister!"

With a hard mental push and a growl, "Get out of my head!" Hermione's curse was shoved from Severus and she felt the push physically. It left a pressure on her head.

"_Incarcerus_!" he hissed out.

Binds immediately wrapped around Hermione's arms and legs, making her crash to the floor and drop her wand which skittered several feet away and rolled off the edge of the dais. A second later another bind began slithering around her throat and constricting her airways. Hermione began gasping.

The audience was completely still, watching on with horror.

Dumbledore watched on serenely.

"It's over!" Remus called urgently from the back of the room, hurrying forward. "He's won! Now end it! Can't you see she's in pain?"

Dumbledore did nothing to call an end to the duel. Hermione continued gasping and wheezing as the binds slowly closed tighter around her neck.

Sirius joined in, "_Let her go_!"

"He's _killing_ her, for God's sake!" Remus shouted. He attempted to lift himself onto the dais, but was immediately thrown back by a ward around it.

Sirius, looking furious, whipped out his wand and tried to send a hex towards Severus which was also deflected by the wards around the dueling "arena".

In no rush, Dumbledore raised a hand and Severus lowered his wand.

Hermione's vision started becoming blurry around the edges before an abrupt release around her throat and she wheezily began gasping hard for air as she was let go. The binds around her arms and legs disappeared as well. On her knees, Hermione held her raw neck as she coughed violently.

Severus walked over her and offer a hand to get her off the ground.

Remus, risking being thrown back by a ward again, jumped over the side and found the spells were down and rushed to Hermione's side, asking if she was okay and if she needed anything.

"Some of you may think what I just did was cruel," Dumbledore said the astonished crowd. "But I am not. _War_ is cruel."

"Hermione, _are you okay_?" Remus asked her quietly one more time.

"I'm_ fine_, Remus," she told him, shaking off his hands which were fluttering over her neck and arms worriedly. "I knew Severus wouldn't hurt me."

Severus walked along side her as they exited the dais and gave a silent nod. He didn't look especially thrilled that he had to press on with the curse as long as he did, but Dumbledore wasn't calling the duel off yet and he'd been given direct instructions not to go easy on her, and her him. But he still had, of course. Under normal circumstances if he had an enemy in the place that he had Hermione, on the ground and incapacitated, he would had sent a Killing Curse and be done with it. For obvious reasons, he did not.

Dumbledore continued saying, "Hermione knew the consequences of engaging in a no-holds-barred duel with her comrade Severus. And she agreed to it because of one thing and one thing alone: Trust. She trusted me and she trusted Severus. That is how it must be for all of us - we are putting our lives in each other's hands."

Sirius was trembling with barely controlled rage. Hermione saw him putting real effort into not reaching for his wand and killing Severus. The Slytherin did not stop when Remus and Hermione did near the other Marauders, but continued to the far back of the room to stay comfortably in the shadows.

Hermione placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. "Sirius, calm down," she whispered while Albus went on with his lesson on trust. "I'm okay. Look at me."

Sirius obeyed and looked down at his sister who gave him a sincere smile. "Severus wouldn't hurt me. And you know I'm used to things like this."

"You mean you almost get killed on a daily basis?" he bit out sarcastically.

"Sirius, every breath I take is a brush with death."

...

The ballroom was filled with Order members practicing casting a Patronus. Most of them already were experts at it, but Dumbledore introduced a method for making Patronuses talk and communicate. It was an interesting tool and James and Sirius were enjoying sending their stag and dog back and forth between them, saying dirty things.

Hermione watched, leaning against a wall. She already knew how to cast a Patronus and make it speak, so she had the privilege of being a mentor and giving pointers.

Remus was standing with James, talking and not practicing.

Hermione smirked and walked over and said, "Mr. Lupin, are you _slacking_?"

He gave her a teasing scowl. "I can already cast a Patronus."

"But can you make it speak?"

"Yes, I can," he said with a joking nudge. "I did it at the start of the lesson, you just weren't paying attention."

"He's lying, just so you know," James said with a grin. "He hasn't cast a Patronus in a long time."

"Now _he's_ lying," Remus refuted.

"Okay, Mr. Swot," Hermione taunted. "If you're such an expert at Patronuses, what is your Patronus?"

"A wolf," he answered automatically. "Yours?"

"An otter," she lied. "Let me see your wolf, Remus."

"That sounds suspiciously sexual," Sirius noted.

"No, it doesn't, you're just a pervert," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't know about that, let's test this out," James said. He turned to where Lily was practicing alongside Alice. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out, "Hey, Lils! Do you want to see my wolf?"

"You pig!" was Lily's reply.

"It's been confirmed," James told his friends. "It's sexual."

Hermione sighed. "Fine then. Show me your _Patronus_, then, Remus."

Remus sighed and took out his wand. With a strong swish of his wrist, silver began pouring from the end of his wand and merging together to form the shape of an animal...which wasn't a wolf.

The silver cat began rubbing between his and Hermione's legs and pawing at their feet.

James, Sirius, and Hermione all looked at Remus with expressions that said "you liar".

Remus crossed his arms. "That's new. It _was_ a wolf at one point."

"_Right_," James said, unconvinced.

Remus just glared at him, his cheeks slightly pink.

"What's wrong, Remus?" Sirius inquired. "Cat's got your tongue?"

Sirius and James both broke out in uncontrollable laughter, high-fiving one another and almost falling over because they were obviously the funniest people in the world.

"It's times like these," Hermione said, "that I honestly consider changing my last name."

Remus smirk. "I can't blame you. But what would you change it to?"

A smile stretched across her light pink lips. "Granger."

Remus's brow furrowed. "Where'd you come up with that? It's certainly not a wizarding name."

"No, it's a muggle name," he confirmed. She continued to smile and passed Remus a secret wink and whispered, "My real last name, actually. You know, from before I was adopted."

"Oh, yes," Remus said with a nod. "Sometimes I forget you're a muggle-born."

"So does Sirius," said Hermione.

"Does Lily know? Maybe, I don't know..."

"That sharing blood status will automatically make us friends?" Hermione shrugged. "I don't think so. She probably wouldn't believe me anyway. I don't think we'll ever get along."

"You know why she doesn't like you, though, don't you?" Remus said.

"Because I'm smarter than her and she can't deal with that," Hermione said with a slight grin.

"Well, that's part of it," Remus chuckled. "But actually it's because you know James better than her. She's jealous."

"I'm hardly a threat -"

"No, she doesn't think you'll take him away from her," Remus said. "She's jealous that you know James in a way she doesn't. You're best friends with him. While they're in love, you and he love one another in a different way - a way that she'll never be able to experience."

"So it's not that she thinks I'll take James away...it's that I already have something that she can't?" Hermione surmized.

"Precisely."

"Hmm. Insightful. You're very good at that - understanding the minds and motives of people. Perhaps you should be a teacher?" she hedged innocently.

Remus snorted. "Yeah, right. As if that will ever happen."

...~oOo~...

"Thank you for letting me walk back with you to use your Floo," Hermione said as they walked down a country dirty road at four o'clock in the morning. "I couldn't handle another ride on Sirius's death machine. And it's not like he rides that thing with grace."

Remus smirked and kicked a pebble in his path absently. Their stroll was slow since they'd had a long night and were in no rush. "I'm surprised you haven't just blown it up in the middle of the night yet."

Hermione sighed. "As much as I hate it, it makes the idiot happy. And we all need a little happiness right now. This war just..." She shook her head and changed the subject. "Have you found your piece of happiness yet, Remus?"

"Honestly...not so much. I'm living in my parents' old house, no one will hire me, and my transformations have been rather difficult as of late."

"Where are your parents?"

"They left the country once I got out of school because of the war."

Hermione frowned and said, "Perhaps... you could come live with Sirius and me? At least then it won't be so lonely in that house."

He gave a sad smirk. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"You're probably smart to turn down the offer. Living with Sirius is brutal."

Remus's smile widened. "I can imagine."

"No, you really can't," she laughed, shaking her head. "There is no possible way to conjure up the proper caliber of awful it is without experiencing it for yourself. He is truly a hellion. It's only been a few weeks and he's already had more than a dozen girls in and out and he never picks up his clothes and he never puts down the toilet seat. I can't take it."

"It must be difficult to find your piece of happiness, huh? What with Sirius dictating your every terrible thought," he chuckled.

"I'll have my happiness when the war is over. But at least you've got Coraline, haven't you?"

Remus shrugged. "Yes, I suppose. She never wants to just talk though. She's very...physical."

Hermione laughed. "That sounds like a woman's complaint about most men."

"Well, it's true," he said, playfully pushing her to the side. "I mean, sure she's beautiful but I can hardly find someone attractive if they've got the intellect of a lamp-shade."

Hermione laughed loudly at that.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "So you disagree?"

"No, I don't! Not at all! But if you're looking for intellect, date a bloody Ravenclaw," she chuckled.

"At first, I wasn't complaining," he said. "It was fine. She was always on me, any bloke would love it. But then I sat down and tried to have a conversation with her. It was like talking to a rock. And we can never just sit down on the sofa and read or play chess - she has to be sitting _on_ me and discarding clothes. Frankly, I'm exhausted," he admitted on a heavy sigh. "I can't take much more of this."

"Poor Remus," Hermione said, not feeling any pity at all. "He's tired of shagging. He has a beautiful, big-busted, willing witch and he can't keep up. Sad, really."

"I can keep up," he defended. "I just don't think, long-term, it will work out." He shrugged. "But then again, I may just be biased considering I've been in love with the same girl since I was thirteen. You should meet her."

Hermione blushed and smiled but said, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. You two would never get along."

Hermione laughed. "Why is that?"

"You're practically the same person."

...

Remus and Hermione sat on top of the roof of the bar in the field behind Remus's little bungalo of a house. Hermione hates heights and was trying to avoid looking down, but the sun was raising over the trees and she had Remus at her side. It was the perfect moment.

"Do you think Sirius will be worried about you?" Remus asked as he leaned back on the roof, looking up at the lavender and indigo striped sky. "It's almost six now."

Hermione shook her head. "I sent him a talking Patronus when you were getting us tea. He knows I'm safe." She sipped out of her mug of steaming herbal tea. "He sent back a snarky dog Patronus with a sex education speech."

"That must have been interesting."

They talked about a lot of things as the sun lit the sky more and more. They talked about literature, both wizarding and muggle, and about history and their friends. Remus asked Hermione what her favorite muggle poem was and she recited a very long poem by T.S. Elliot.

She finished the poem with one of it's most famous lines, "_This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper_."

They both soaked up the words and looked at the sky. And Hermione couldn't help but think that that moment on the roof watching the sun rise with Remus could maybe be her piece of happiness.

Little did she know less than twenty-four hours, happiness would barely exist.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. If Hermione was lying about her Patronus, what do you think it is? (not as obvious as you think) 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	30. The Way the World Ends

A/N. Holy shit. 30 chapters. Damn. I bet you all are starting to think, "OK, when's this bitch gonna wrap this up?" and honestly, when I do the outline it's going to be pretty long. After this "year" in the story is over, we have two more year to cover. Something very important happens in both years, but the second is when it gets really crazy. So I guess if you look back on the story and how many year have gone by, one would say we're getting very close to the end.

If you're wondering about time jumps, any "fast-forward" in time will not exceed a couple months. No more two year skips like in the beginning (:

DISCLAIMER: I own Harry Potter... JK! JK does. JKR, that is. Rowling owns everything. She probably even owns the computer I'm typing this on. Because she's just that clue.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty: The Way the World Ends

Hermione screamed. The screams echoed and bounced against the rocks. It was a scream of agony and pain. Liquid was being poured down her throat. It felt like she was being water boarded.

"_HERMIONE_!"

Wrenching upward from her bed, drenched in sweat. Her tank top was slick to her like a second skin and her shorts were ridden up and twisted.

Sirius was standing in the doorway looking frantic and only half-conscious. "I thought you were being murdered!" he said, his voice foggy from sleep and slightly shaken. His hair was a tumbleweed.

Hermione was panting, trying to catch her breath from the dream. She touched her face and found wetness under her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sirius," she gasped out. "I...it was a nightmare."

"Yeah, I caught onto that," he said, scratching the back of his head and giving a yawn. "When did you finally roll in last night?"

"Around seven." Hermione glanced at the clock and sighed. "Which means I only got two hours of sleep."

"More sleep than I did."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "But you got home before me." Then she put two and two together. "Oh no," she groaned. "Please tell me there isn't a girl from the Order in your bed right now."

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies," he recited with a goofy grin on his face.

With a hurrumph Hermione fell back against the bed and let out a loud noise of frustration. "Sirius, for the last time -"

There was a soprano voice that hesitantly called out from the other end of the hallway, "Sirius...?"

"I'll be right there, Marley," he said down the hallway with a charming smile.

"_Marley_? Do you mean _Marlene_ McKinnon?" Hermione demanded.

"It's a pet name."

"_I hate pet names_," she growled, turning over and stuffing her face into the pillow, hoping to maybe accidently suffocate herself. "And blondes. And big boobs. Why do you idiot boys always go for the stereotype? Remus is with Coraline, you're shagging Marlene and...well, Lily is a redhead, but still! _Why_? What's wrong with brunettes with ugly hair and big teeth?" Her heart ached.

Sirius paused. "You did just hear what you said, right?"

Hermione sighed and rolled over again. "I know I'm not pretty, Sirius," she said calmly. "I know I'll always be the ugly duckling who never gets turned into a swan, okay? But I wish men weren't so shallow."

With a heavy sigh, Sirius padded into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "You aren't ugly," he told her. "You're gorgeous."

"My hair is a rat's nest," she said.

"It's curly and thick," he corrected her. "Do you know how many girls would kill for curly and thick hair?"

"My teeth are awkward," she added.

"They're quirky," he said. "They give you character."

"My chest is flat."

"Small breasts are nice," he said. "And you've got a pretty nice arse to make up for it."

Hermione touched her bum consideringly. Sure, it was perky and round, but whose wasn't? "I guess," she mumbled. "So as long as I keep my back to men I have a chance. Lovely. Wonderful foundation for a relationship."

"Oh, your arse is _definitely_ a wonderful foundation for a relationship," he said with fervor, nodding assertively.

Hermione kicked him.

"Kitten, you're beautiful," he said, getting serious. "I wouldn't change a thing about you. If a bloke can't see how gorgeous you are then he isn't worth it." Sirius bent over and kissed her forehead. "Now, I'm going to go have a mindblowing shag with the pretty girl in my bed."

With a heavy sigh, Hermione gave a wave and he left. She listened as he walked down the hall, opened the door, and immediately heard a feminine giggle before his bedroom door shut. She rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow, trying to imagine it was a warm person. Someone with calloused skin and hard shoulders and soft hair.

But before she could fall asleep, her forearm started to burn.

...~oOo~...

It was late afternoon when Sirius decided it was time to get out of bed. Marlene had left after they had breakfast and she'd slyly left him her Floo address in his boxers. She was a minx, that one.

But like every other time he had a night-long romp with a girl, he was left this with empty feeling in his torso and a pressure on his head. So it was about two-thirty when he decided to stop sleeping off his exciting evening and rolled out. First thing he did was pour himself a tumbler of Firewhiskey and down it. Then he brushed his teeth and made coffee before making himself waffles for breakfast.

When he realized there was no syrup, he sighed and wanted to throw himself off his motorcycle midflight. He made a quick decision. He was going out and he was going to buy the biggest fucking jug of syrup he could find and Hermione was going to have to live with the abundance of sugar.

Grabbing his keys, he walked towards the door, opened it up and choked.

Hermione was lying on the mat in front of the door, unconscious and bloody.

"_Hermione_!" he shouted once the moment caught up with him and dropped next to her body.

She groaned and Sirius felt the slightest breath of relief. She was alive. "Come on, love, we have to get you to St. Mungo's." He reached down to started to pick her up, but she weakly shoved his hands away.

"No..." she rasped. "No...can't go...to...Mungo's..." Hermione hissed in pain.

"Are you insane?" he panicked, picking her up anyway. His heart was thumping uncontrollably. He could barely breathe.

"Mark..." she said, lifting her left arm shakily. "Healers...can't see...Mark..."

Then it registered for Sirius. If she was taken to the hospital, they would surely strip her down and the Dark Mark would be clear as day. They'd strip her of all curses or spells on her, thus rendering even a glamour useless.

"O-okay," he said shakily. "We'll...we'll call Dumbledore. And Lily."

Hermione groaned and scowled, but not in pain.

"You're obviously fine," Sirius growled. "If you can dislike Lily even when you're an inch from death, you'll live. And no matter what you say, she's training to be a Healer, so you'll have to live with it."

"Madam Pomfrey..." she whispered.

"You're going to need an entire medical team," he told her as he carefully set her on her bed. "Which means Dumbledore, Pomfrey, McGonagall, _and_ Lily."

"_Not Lily..._"

"Shut up. I'm going to floo everyone. Just...please hang in there, kitten," he added on a scratchy whisper. "Don't. Move."

"As if...I can..."

"Okay, I really shouldn't be as concerned as I am if you're able to be_ this_ snarky in the middle of a crisis," he grumbled as he marched out of the room and towards the fireplace.

...

When Hermione was treated enough to be fully conscious and stable, she explained, "We were breaking off into pairs to duel. I was lucky enough to be put with Bellatrix. I was...so tired from being up all night...I wasn't in the right mindset. I couldn't duel on two hours of sleep. And she was relentless. The practice session was being run by Lucius and he told her to get me home...so she dropped me on the doorstep."

"Where was Voldemort during all of this?" a pensive Dumbledore asked from the foot of her bed. His hands were locked behind his back.

"Some kind of meeting...in Eastern Europe," Hermione said. "The details weren't clear. I think it has something to do with Igor Karkaroff..."

Dumbledore was nodding.

McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were on either side of Hermione, running diagnostic spells and Lily stood by watching with an expressionless face. Hermione imagined that Lily did not know whether to feel pity for her or not considering their history.

James stood in the corner watching on with a worried look.

"When is your next meeting with Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked.

"Tomorrow," Hermione said.

The headmaster nodded. "Meet him as scheduled."

James stepped forward then. "You can't be serious! Hermione was almost killed twice in one day! You can't expect her to just go along with he little charade!"

"Yes, James," Hermione said solemnly. "Yes, he can expect just that. Because it's my _job_."

"Where was _Snape_ during your death match?" James spat.

"He was in his own duel with Lucius," Hermione said. "He couldn't blow his cover by helping me. They'd be suspicious if he disobeyed orders and left his own assignment. Regulus was in huge trouble when he abandoned Rabastan and tried to help me off the ground. Severus has a reputation to keep withing the Death Eaters."

James was vehemently shaking his head. "No. No more. I don't want Hermione playing this spy game any longer. The Dark Lord has asked me to join him - I'll take her place as a spy and Hermione can go into hiding."

"James!" Lily gasped, her green eyed bulging.

"I cannot permit that, James," Dumbledore said gently. "Hermione is Voldemort's right hand, as is Severus. We cannot start over this late."

"I'd never let you, anyway, James," Hermione said, shaking her head. "You're too good, too pure for such a job. You have so much potential and imagine what Lily would go through. She'd be worried sick and your relationship would suffer. I couldn't take that away by stepping down and letting you take my place. And Dumbledore is right. I'm too far in to back out."

With a durious expression, James turned away from everyone in the room and shook his head for a few second before storming out, slamming the door shut behind him. He continued to march out into the living area where Sirius was slumped in an arm chair, his hand covering his face. He was still as a statue.

James didn't say anything, just walked over to the Floo. Sirius heard him enter, though and dropped his hand.

"Leaving?" Sirius asked when James dipped his hand into the jar of Floo Powder on the mantle.

Shaking his head, James knelt down in front of the fireplace. "No. The full moon is tomorrow night. If they're not going to listen to me, then they might as well hear what Remus's got to say about it."

...~oOo~...

Remus blew into the flat like a bloody hurricane. His eyes were already bright from it being so near to his transformation, but he looked prepared to kill. His hands were rolled into fists. He came through the door and blew right past Sirius and James and down the hall.

James and Sirius exchanged looks.

"Perhaps that wasn't the best idea, mate," Sirius said.

"I'm starting to think the same thing," James agreed.

They both ran in Remus's wake. They got caught up just as he was reaching for the doorknob with a trembling hand.

Like to linebackers, Sirius and James barrelled into him, backing him away from the door.

"Mate, think before you do this," James said.

"_Let go of me_!" Remus snarled, fighting their hold.

"Just clear your head first, Moony," Sirius grunted, locking Remus's arm behind his back. "Then we'll let you go in! But you can't be here all fired up!"

"_I need to see her_!" Remus shouted.

"We'll let you see her - but first you need to calm down!" James said. "I know you're angry at Dumbledore, so are we, but -"

"_Angry_?" Remus scoffed. "_I'm going to fucking kill him_!"

They continued to wrestle.

In the bedroom, Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hermione, and Lily all heard a series of shouts and lots of thumps and bumps in the hall like someone was throwing sacks of flour into the walls. The snarls and shouts sounded like a pack of animals were attacking.

"Oh, no," Hermione whispered. "Someone's called Remus."

Lily wore a mirroring expression. "Oh, dear," was all the redhead could say, though.

Everyone heard the loud scream, "LET ME THE FUCK _GO_!"

A split second later the door crashed open. Remus practically ran into the room and halted when he saw Hermione. Her hair was dried with blood, her chin and shoulders and arms were spattered with burns, cuts, and bruises, and a large abrasion on her forehead was still swelling with blood. She looked like hell.

Remus was quivering with rage. He turned on Dumbledore and growled in a voice as deep as Tartarus, "_This is your fault_."

"Remus -" Hermione said. But he wasn't listening, he was glaring at Dumbledore so darkly the room dropped in temperature.

"I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOU RISKING HER LIFE! YOU'VE DONE IT SINCE SHE WAS ONLY A CHILD! WHEN WILL YOU END THIS?"

"Hermione has agreed -"

"SHE AGREED BECAUSE SHE'S EAGER TO DO WHATEVER SHE CAN - SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY! IT'S YOUR JOB TO KNOW WHEN TO TELL HER 'NO'!"

"I'm not an familiar, Remus!" Hermione snapped. "I can make my own decisions!"

"_Even if they get you killed_?" he bellowed. "Think sense, Hermione! You're smarter than this!"

"Remus, I'm okay!"

"NO, YOU ARE NOT. LOOK AT YOURSELF! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY THINK THAT YOU ARE OKAY?"

Hermione looked around to the people that were watching with solemn silence. "Perhaps you could all excuse us for a minute?"

Remus gritted his teeth and waited tensely as the bystanders cleared out. The moment the door closed, Hermione began shifting in the bed and began swinging her legs out.

Remus was at her side in a second. "Lie back down," he whispered tersely, putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to push her back down.

She shoved off his hand. "Don't touch me. I'm upset with you."

"Upset with _me_?" he demanded incredulously.

"You're not listening to me!" Hermione snapped. "I'm trying to tell you that I can do this and you're just so...ugh!"

"I know you _can_ do this, Hermione! I don't_ want_ you to be! I don't like who you've become! You've become cold and detached and then you show up looking like a corpse! _I want you safe_!"

"This is a war, Remus," Hermione said, continuing to get up. Madam Pomfrey had helped her change into one of Sirius's most comfortable cotton t-shirts and a pair of linen jawstring pants. "No one is safe. And no matter what you say or do - even if you managed to sway Dumbledore into agreeing with you - I made a vow to the Order and I intend to keep it."

"Why?" he hissed.

"I have my reasons," she said. "Isn't the greater good a good enough reason for you?"

"_Nothing_," he said tightly, "is a good enough reason to risk your life."

"What will it take to make you let this go?"

"Nothing," he promised.

Hermione walked up close to him so that their toes were flush. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. His body was too tense to even melt at her touch. "I'll be okay, Remus."

He shut his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't you trust me?" Hermione asked.

Remus snorted. "Don't pull the trust card on me."

"But don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me when I say that I need to continue as a spy. Soon this will all be over." Hermione paused. "How is your puzzle box going?"

Remus gave a short, morose laugh. "It's bloody awful. I just started the third picture."

Hermione smiled, still playing with his hair gently. "Halfway there."

Remus nodded.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'll feel better when you leave the spy business and go into hiding."

"Don't be silly. You know I've never been one for hiding."

He shrugged. "That won't stop me from kidnapping you and holding you hostage in a shack in Russia."

Hermione chuckled but he looked deadly serious.

"_This is the way the world ends_," he murmured, almost to himself. "With a whimper."

"It isn't the end of the world, Remus," she told him. "I'm only one person."

"If you...God forbid...if you _died_," Remus rasped. "It'd be the end of _my_ world."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Sirius, you whore. (not really a question, I know) 3. What do you want to see in upcoming chapters?


	31. From Children's Hour I Have Not Been

Chapter Thirty-One: From Childhood's Hour I Have Not Been

When Hermione got home from a meeting with Dumbledore a week later, there was Beatles music playing through the flat and it smelt like Christmas - her favorite candles were lit. And it smelt like...pizza.

Hermione was immediately suspicious. If Sirius was playing her favorite music, lighting the candles that he normally hated, and went out of his way to buy muggle pizza then he definitely did something wrong.

She hesitantly called out, "Sirius...?"

"In the kitchen!" was the reply.

When Hermione entered the kitchen she was still making a mental list of all the things that Sirius could have possibily done to encourage him to go through such lengths to butter her up. He sat at their little table with the box of pizza and...

"Oh, no. White Zinfandel," Hermione moaned, seeing her favorite white wine in a large bottle. "Did you _kill_ someone?"

"Why would you assume that?" Sirius asked, popping open the cork on the bottle and pouring the liquid carefully into a wineglass and holding it out to his sister.

"Whatever you have to tell me must be surpemely awful for it to bring on all...this." She gestured vaguely at her candle-and-pizza filled surroundings. "So. Please. Make it quick. Like a plaster, rip it off quick."

"Have a seat," Sirius said, looking at her with amusement.

Hermione took a deep breath and sat at the chair across from him, taking a long swig of the wine. "Hit me with it," she said, bracing herself for whatever was coming.

"I want to apply for Auror training."

...Okay. That hadn't been what Hermione was expecting.

"Wait, so...you didn't break anything?"

Sirius shook his head.

"There's no mess for me to clean up? No bodies to hide?"

Sirius shook his head again.

Hermione let out a little hysterical squeal before leaping out of her seat and throwing her arms around her brother's neck. "Oh my God, it's good news! _Good_ news! Oh, good news I can definitely live with! I'm so proud of you, Sirius!"

Sirius laughed. "Glad to know you have so much faith in me."

"Well, can you blame me for the alarm?" she asked with a giddy laugh. "I come in and it smells like pizza, candles are lit, and you have wine! I didn't know if you were going to tell me something terrible or trying to seduce me!"

"I'm sorry, but you suspect seduction when you see pizza and wine? Is that all it takes to get you in the mood?"

"Well, that and a good book," she teased.

From under the table Sirius pulled out a thick rectangular, badly wrapped parcel. "Is this where you start taking your clothes off or does that come after we eat?"

Hermione snatched up the parcel and ripped off the paper to find a copy of Edgar Allen Poe's complete works. She squealed again and hugged it to her chest.

"But...why did you do all of this for me when I should be doing something for you to celebrate?" she asked.

"Mostly because...I have a small request."

"This is where I'm going to need the wine, isn't it?"

...

Alastor Moody stopped in his tracks when he spotted Hermione and Sirius black in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The man scowled and limped over to the two and said, "It's barely noon and you're already set on ruining my bloody day, Black?"

"Which Black?" Sirius asked cheekily.

"Both of ya!"

"We're here to apply for Auror training," Hermione said, holding up the paperwork with both of their exams scores and prerequisites.

Moody sneered. "Hermione will be fine. Sirius, go home."

"Oi! She wouldn't be here unless I addled her better sense with wine!" Sirius said defensively. "Anyway, I am more than qualified for the job! I passed all my exams!"

"No doubt with you sister whispering in your ear," Moody scoffed and began hobbling away. "Come along. I'll take you to see Regis."

Regis Cornwall was an imposing man with bulging muscles and a neck like the trunk of a tree. He sat in a desk that was perhaps a bit too small for his impressive stature and wore an calf-length trench coat, something many of the Aurors wore for it was conducive to carrying equipment and concealing Dark objects they recover.

The plaque on the front of his desk declared him as Head Auror.

Hermione and Sirius sat in the chairs across from his desk with Moody standing in the back corner. Cornwall was looking over their paperwork with cold, beedy, coal-colored eyes. Once he was done reading, hedropped them and folded his hands, examining Hermione and Sirius closely.

"What makes either of you think you're worthy of becoming Aurors?" Regis asked with barely concealed disdain.

Sirius and Hermione looked at each other.

Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but Cornwall held up a hand and cut in, "You know what? I don't want to hear any of the usual bullocks from Gryffindors like you with your courage and loyalty and the normal shite. I've heard all about you two - the famous Black siblings with your smarts and stubborness. But when you're an Auror none of this matters. Both of you are notorious for neglecting to follow orders, as your record at Hogwarts makes clear. Neither of you deserves to have even walked through the Auror Office doors."

Sirius and Hermione had mirroring expressions of offense.

Hermione began, "Excuse me, sir, but I beg to differ -"

"I think that's a bit harsh -" Sirius was saying at the same time.

"Silence," Cornwall demanded.

"If you don't want us here, we will just be going. Won't we, Sirius?" Hermione said, ignoring the order to stop speaking.

Sirius's pride got the best of him. "Like bloody hell we're going -"

"Actually, Mr. Black is correct," Cornwall said, standing up. "Niether of you are going anywhere."

Hermione really didn't like those words. Every time she heard those words, it triggered a deep-set alarm inside of her that meant trouble. Sirius and her exchanged quick looks because he was thinking the same thing as they rose from their seats as well.

Mad-Eye Moody remained silent in the back corner.

Cornwall whipped out his wand and Hermione almost sighed. She was so ridiculously exhausted with crazy authorty figures.

Jumping into action, Sirius stepped in front of his sister and had his own wand bore. He hissed, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Without a word, Cornwall deflected the spell and Hermione sent a spell behind them to open the door, but Moody was already in the way and deflected her as well. Her eyes widened at her old mentor and she attempted to disarm him as well.

A double duel ensued. Hermione against Moody and Sirius against Cornwall. It was mostly silent and the room flashed like the lights on a Christmas tree. It was a rapid fire of spell after spell from every wizard and witch. Hermione and Sirius were practically back-to-back as they faced off the two Aurors.

With a grunt, Hermione took a page out of Severus's book and with a well-timed blow, she had Moody hanging upside down in the air. The man was cursing and swearing, screaming, "BLACK, YOU LET ME DOWN OR ELSE I'LL BLOODY -"

The rest of what he said probably is illegal to be repeated in thirteen countries.

Hermione turned around and she and Sirius worked in tandem until they had Cornwall against a wall and Sirius with a careful cast, Cornwall was invisibly bound to the wall.

Hermione and Sirius were panting from the exertion.

Then Cornwall began to laugh. A boisterous, hearty, genuine laugh.

The brother and sister shared looks of bemusement.

"Alright, you two," Cornwall said with a grin. "Let me down. All is well, all is well. Moody too, please."

Hesitantly, they freed Cornwall and Moody - the latter of which looked like he wanted to kill Hermione.

"You've passed the first test," Cornwall announced with a jolly smile. "Sorry about the little charade, but we had to catch you off-guard. Hope we didn't scare you too much."

"Scared isn't the word I'd use," Sirius mused.

"You can put your wands away now," Cornwall said, putting his own inside his coat and sitting back down in his chair.

They reluctantly did so.

"I'll see you both tomorrow bright and early for your next series of tests," Cornwall said, still smiling.

"Sir?" Hermione inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"As of today, you've both been accepted into the usual Auror trial," Cornwall explained. "Think of it as an extensive interview with character tests and to see how much pressure you can handle. And from what Alastor's told me, neithe of you will disappoint." He gave a wink and gestured towards the door. "Have a good day and I will see you both tomorrow."

...~oOo~...

The Marauders all lounged around Sirius and Hermione's living area. Hermione sat on one end of the sofa while Sirius took up the rest of it, his feet in her lap. James was sitting against the coffee table and Remus vacated the fluffy arm chair.

They were all enjoying Thai take-out, a wonder that Hermione and her muggle-loving ways introduced them to. Hermione drank her wine that Sirius bought her, her brother was enjoying a tumbler of Firewhiskey, and Remus and James had butterbeer.

"So, what did you call us over about?" Remus asked.

"Hermione and I applied to be Aurors and were accepted into the training program," Sirius blurted out.

"Not quite," Hermione said. "We were accepted into a trial training. Not the actual thing."

James's brow furrowed. "Why would you do that?"

"We can't _all_ be independently wealthy," Sirius said with a teasing scowl. "_Some of us_ have to work for a living."

Remus raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "When did you decide you wanted to be an Auror?"

"Um..." Hermione mused.

"Sirius bribed you with wine, didn't he?" James immediately said.

"How did you know?"

"Whenever he wants something from me, he buys me liquor. It only makes sense."

"I can't believe you traded a bottle of wine for a career," Remus said, puzzled.

Hermione said, "It's not that I didn't want to, I just hadn't thought much of it. And the second Sirius asked me to join him, I knew it was the right choice. The wine had nothing to do with it."

"Alice and Frank say its brutal," Remus said.

"Did you hear those two are engaged?" James said with a smile, his hazel eyes glittering. "Longbottom finally plucked up the courage to ask her. They're hoping to get married once their training is done."

"That's fantastic!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I think they're bloody crazy," Sirius said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Alright, Mr. Cynic," Hermione groused. "What is your current bit to pick with marriage?"

"We're in the middle of a bloody war, aren't we?" Sirius said as if it should be obvious. "It's irresponsible is what it is."

"I think because there's a war people should marry," James disagreed. "You know, while they still can."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm with Sirius on this one."

Everyone looked at her as if she'd just declared that she licked one of the Giant Squid's tentacles.

"We're all doomed," James intoned ominously. "Hermione's agreeing with Sirius. Perhaps you are right, Sirius, the apocalypse is coming - there's much worse things to worry about than marriage."

"Oh, stop," Hermione said, her nose crinkling. "Sirius is an intelligent man who I can agree with whenever I like without the end of the world nigh. My point is that getting married just because you feel it's a last chance is seriously reckless! And on top of that, it's dangerous. One can only be worried about so many things without adding a spouse to the list."

"So, in other words, even if you were in love, getting married would make the other person a nuisance?" Remus joined in with no emotion on his face.

Hermione's cheeks flashed pink for a moment. "No, not at all. But it wouldn't be fair to your husband or wife if you, say, had to disappear for indeterminable intervals."

"I can't help but feel this conversation just got personal," James murmured to Sirius who nodded in agreement.

Remus went on with a taut jaw, "Don't you think whether or not said spouse could handle such things would be _up to them_?"

"_Hypothetically_, yes," Hermione said tightly. "But I'm only expressing to concern and reason behind why the opposite spouse would be hesitant to engage in such affairs."

"Even if the opposite spouse is far from 'hesitant' and is actually just more stubborn than a bloody Hippogriff?"

"Yes, even so!"

"Definitely personal," Sirius confirmed.

"_I'm going to ask Lily to marry me!_"

Everyone stopped and turned to stare at James.

"At least _that _got you all to shut up," James grumbled. "Not exactly the way I planned on telling you all, but whatever."

"Congratulations, mate!" Sirius said with a broad smile.

"I thought you just said that marrying during a war was stupid?"

"Yeah, but this is you and Lily we're talking about, mate," Sirius said. "You've planned to marry her since you were eleven. Much longer and we're all going to explode."

Hermione smiled, mostly because this wasn't a surprise at all. "That's wonderful, James."

Remus nodded and smiled, but there was something still tense in his eyes. "Yeah, mate. That's brilliant."

"And I was wondering if you all would go out with me to look for a ring," James said, grinning like a fool. "I wouldn't know where to start."

Everyone readily agreed and their conversation went on to lighter things, like Sirius and Remus acting out how they suspected Lily to respond (Remus playing James and Sirius playing Lily) and at some point Sirius came up with an idea when James was in the loo. Every time James said the name "Lily" all three of them did a shot. Hermione obviously refused, but Remus was willing so the two of them were without a doubt bladdered in only an hour.

"Why do they keep taking shots?" James eventually asked.

"No clue," Hermione said innocently.

"Oh...okay, anyway, Lily said -"

Remus and Sirius poured themselves a shot and downed it.

So the night went on.

"I'm not letting any of you Apparate, you're too drunk, home and our Floo is closed for repairs," Hermione said. "I'll write Lily a letter, James, and you can sleep here."

The only reason why James was drunk was because he started taking shots whenever Remus and Sirius did, thus creating this disaster.

"There's only one guest room, love," Sirius slurred, draping an arm around Hermione and basically falling on her. "Wanna share my bed?" He gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "My pretty kitten," he purred quietly, nuzzling her neck.

"No, thank you," Hermione said simply. "I'll just take the couch and James or Remus can use my bed."

"That's not necessary," James said with a drunken chuckle. "Sirius and I will share a room. It'll be jus' like old times, right, old chap?"

"Right!" Sirius agreed. "But before we do, how about one last song?"

"Yes!" James agreed giddily. "How about 'Home Boys Home'?"

"A jolly good choice, mate!"

Then all three of them started singing in off-pitch unison, "_And it's home boys home! Home I'd like to be, home for a while in my old count-a-ry! Where the oak and the as and the bonny elm tree! They're all a-growing greener in my old count-a-ry_!..."

And so the song went on. Hermione just watched the drunk choir boys as they swayed and hooked arms on the couch. Hermione had seen them drunk before, but the second the Irish drinking songs came out, you knew they were too far gone.

"Bed time you three!" Hermione declared once she sent Lily the letter using their building's resident owl. She gave Sirius and James stern looks. "And I mean, sleep! I don't want to hear you two giggling until three o'clock in the morning!"

"Yes, Mum!" James saluted cheekily and they disappeared behind Sirius's door.

"That was probably a bad idea, huh?" Hermione said, turning to face Remus with a smile. "Letting them share a room. Now they'll never sleep -"

And out of nowhere, Remus's mouth was crushed onto hers, kissing hard and fast and sloppily. He tasted like whiskey and chocolate and immediately Hermione's own alcohol consumption convinced her to not push him off, but kiss back.

Remus pushed her into the wall, capturing her wrists with one hand and burying the other into her hair to angle her head enough to kiss her even deeper. Hermione's toes curled and her fingertips tingled, itching to touch him.

Her burning hands were fighting his hold, wanting to touch that soft light brown hair and clutch her shoulders, but his hand only tightened. Not painfully, just harder and demanding.

"_No_," he growled against her lips. Remus bit her pink lower lip and then laved the teeth indentations with his tongue. Hermione very almost collapsed, but instead just moaned.

Then he abruptly let go of her hand and began playfully nudging her with her nose. When she didn't know how to respond, she lightly nipped her chin making her let out a tiny squeal.

"What?" she giggled as he continued to nudge her.

Remus just let out a laugh and then covered his hands with his eyes. "I'm going to count down from three."

Hermione laughed harder. "Remus, you're drunk!"

"Three..."

"What am I supposed to do?" Hermione asked.

"Two..."

"Is this hide-and-seek?"

"One and a half... You better get going."

"I frankly have no clue what we're doing."

"One...

Hermione just laughed some more.

"Zero!" Remus said and dropped his hands.

Hermione took this as her clue to run. She ran down the hall and out into the living room as fast as she could, laughing as she went. She heard Remus right behind her. She got behind the couch and he was on the other side. Every time she made to go left or right, he moved the same way. They were both smiling like idiots.

The Hermione leaped over the arm of couch and sprinted for the kitchen where she through down a chair behind her to hopefully delay him. He just jumped over it and she continued running out of the opposite exit.

Hermione had just made it back down the hall and into her bedroom when Remus sped up and dove down to take her around the waist. She let out a surprised squeak as he slung her over her shoulder and spun twice.

Laughing like a madwoman, Hermione shouted, "Put me down! Now! _It's my turn to chase_!"

...

It was well past midnight when Hermione and Remus finally collapsed after a full hour of playing hide-and-seek around the flat. Hermione discovered that she indeed could fit under the kitchen sink and that Remus fit perfectly under her bed.

They were each lying on their backs, stretched out like starfish next to one another on the living room floor with the fireplace blazing behind them.

Remus had started to sober up, but he was still pretty buzzed and relaxed.

"So," Hermione said. "What made you want to play hide-and-seek?"

"Not sure," Remus answered. "Though, you know, that is how wolves mate. The male has the female run so he can go after her and prove himself as her mate." He sent her a lopsided smile.

Hermione chuckled. "Sort of archaic, don't you think? A male having to display strength and prowess to win a woman's affections."

Remus shrugged. "Wolves are animals, not socialites."

They both laughed at that.

Remus rolled onto his side and looked down at Hermione, resting his head in propped up hand. "So did I prove myself?" he asked lightly.

With a small smile, Hermione gave him a look. "Are you asking if I'll 'mate' with you now?"

"Maybe."

"No."

Remus sighed and dropped his head down to pressed his face to her throat. "Please?" he asked.

"We're drunk," Hermione told him. "It would be irresponsible." But as he laid soft kisses to her pulse point and shoulder, she felt a deep heat coiling behind her belly-button.

"Come on, Hermione," he whispered. "Can't you feel it, this force between us...we need this."

Oh, she definitely felt it. It was drawing her in like a magnet, sucking her deeper into the rabbit hole.

"Oh, Remus," she sighed sadly, his face still under her hair. "I don't know... I mean, could we go through with this, really? I mean, there's so much happening right now. We fighting in a war, I'm currently the mistress of a racist dictator, Sirius is in a dark place, you're with Coraline...

"And on top of that I now am starting a career I never dreamed of," Hermione babbled, knowing that she was ranting. "And dear God, I want you so badly, but even if we agreed to never speak of it again - would we be able to? It would be impossible to ignore and even if we decided to make the commitment to one another, doing so could get you killed! And Remus, I can't live without you, you know that, and to have you die over a few moments of stupid emotions on my part - it would tear me apart. I couldn't do it. Don't you understand, Remus?"

Remus didn't respond from under her hair.

"Do you?" she pressed.

He still said nothing.

"Remus?" she asked. She turned her head to see where she felt his breath on her neck and realized...

He was asleep on her shoulder, his even breathing brushing over her skin. Hermione smiled and stroked his longish hair.

She kissed his forehead and said, "Goodnight, Remus. I love you."

...~oOo~...

No challenge this chapter, guys! Just leave you're favorite part and line in the reviews as always :)

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	32. A Debt

A/N. Hullo everyone! I have quite a bit of good news today!

1. All of you who asked to have an interaction between Hermione and Voldemort - here it is.

2. Everyone who was missing Regulus - here he is.

3. Everyone who like to see Sirius drunk...well, actually, sorry about that. Sirius is sober for most of this chapter and hungover for part of it.

4. We are making our way towards another Horcrux. Excited?

So I was on the phone with my mother the other day - she's a MASSIVE HP FAN - and I was telling her about the plot of this story and she just goes, "But...that's not what JKR says happens."

And I said, "Mom, that's what fanfiction IS."

"But...you can't do that!"

"Yes I can!"

"But...what about Harry Potter?"

My response said, "Mom. The basis of my story is to basically eliminate the need for the Harry Potter series. I mean, I love Harry Potter, but with my story, none of it ever needed to happen."

She was not happy about that at all. You should have heard her reaction when I told her that Remus didn't get with Tonks. Absolutely terrifying.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. JKR does.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Debt

"Well, isn't this quaint," a taunting voice said, rousing Hermione from her sleep.

She woke up and found that her back hurt, her head was pounding, and something very warm was under her. When her vision came into focus, she realized her back probably hurt from sleeping on the floor all night, her head was battling a hangover, and the weight under half of her was Remus.

"I hope you two didn't make the beast with two backs there," Sirius drawled. "I like that rug."

Remus was dragging himself from unconsciousness and made a low growl in his chest that rumbled under Hermione's chin. His silvery eyes opened and took in his surroundings. "Shit," he said, rubbing at his eyes as Hermione rolled off of him. "How much did I drink last night?"

"An awful lot," Sirius answered, padding over and delivering a light kick to his friend's ribs. "Did you deflower my sister?"

"Um...no," Remus said, forcing himself up into a sitting position, though he winced from the terrible ache in his back and the movement of his head. "I mean...last I remember was Hermione and I talking about wolves and their mating habits."

"You sure know how to seduce a woman, Moons," Sirius said with a yawn. "Nothing gets a bird in the mood like discussing wild dogs and their shagging tendencies."

"Talking about wolves..." James said, emerging from the hall with his hair sticking up every which way and crusty hazel eyes. He was cleaning his glasses with his t-shirt. "I swear there was howling out here last night and a lot of running feet. What the hell were you two doing?"

Sirius glared at Remus. "You did deflower my sister!" He kicked Remus again.

"We were playing hide-and-seek," Hermione said. "And quit kicking him!" She picked herself up off the ground carefully and said, "Who's in need of a Hangover Potion?"

Remus and James raised their hands.

Sirius shook his head, muttering, "Fucking ponces."

...~oOo~...

"Your sudden ambition to become an Auror is a pleasant surprise," said Voledmort one scalding hot afternoon in a Spanish villa a few days later. The air conditioning was on inside but the bed they were lounging on was the victim of direct sunlight pouring through ceiling-high picture windows. "I'm always welcome to having more eyes in the Ministry - especially in the Law Enforcement offices to keep watch on things. But I worry about you over-stretching yourself."

Hermione was wearing a lace and silk camisole and matching shorts. They were a sleeping set from the Dark Lord himself when he realized she had a tendency to wearing Sirius's t-shirts to bed. It was one of many sleepwear gifts - and this was one of the more innocent ones. The others - the brassieres and panties and see-though robes - all were in the back of her closet. She was trying to lie on her back in a way that covered some skin - her hands were folded over her stomach and her legs were crossed but it really didn't do much.

"I'll be fine," she assured him with a small smile. "I've been dividing my time carefully."

The Dark Lord was sitting up against the headboard in black trousers and absent a shirt. His shoulders were firm as well as his arms, chest, and stomach - but not particularly defined. Wiry, maybe. For a man who wanted to enslave the muggle race and control the wizarding world, he was strangely average in build. His hands were folded in his lap and he looking calculating.

"I know I should be sensitive to your schedule," he said, "and perhaps not call on you so often. But I rather like our visits."

"As do I, my lord," Hermione answered reflexively.

"But...sacrifices must be made," he said, sounding very slightly put-out by the prospect. "I will try my hardest to leave you more time for your studies and training."

"You are very generous, my lord," she said, staring at the ceiling.

The bed jostled under her as she felt Voldemort roll and crawl closer. Suddenly his nose was at he temple and he was placing icy kisses over her face and down towards her neck. "I will miss you, my dear."

"And I you," Hermione answered. She'd come up with a useful technique when she was with the Dark Lord. She catalogued a bunch neutral and common phrases in her head before shutting herself down mentally and emotionally. That way she could respond just as much as necessary but not have to vomit every ten minutes.

He was nibbling her pulse point before he said, "Regrettably, though, this meeting must be cut short. I do apologize." Voldemort pressed his mouth onto hers for only a second and pulled away, slid off the bed, and began buttoning up his oxford shirt that was draped over an ornate arm char in the massive room.

"You have a meeting?" Hermione inquired.

"Indeed," Voldemort confirmed. "With your younger brother, actually. I need his assistance in a certain affair." He straightened his collar and put on a cool, amuse smile. "You and your brother are certainly valuable followers. You more than he, of course, but he's proven himself eager and willing."

Hermione nodded.

"Is something troubling you, darling?" he asked.

"No, not at all."

"Are you unhappy about my departure?"

Hermione put on a sheepish smile. "A little."

"As am I," he replied with a reassuring smile. "But we will meet again soon enough. You might like to take advantage of the villa. The pool in the yard is wonderful on a hot day like this." And with a flick of his wand wrist, he was gone.

Hermione laid on top of the covers for a bit longer, trying to set her mind straight again. Sometimes she wondered who she was _really_ working for. She was supplying both Voldemort and Dumbledore any information acquired, and it was starting to mess with her head.

She knew that she was a good guy. But Dumbledore's orders were, for all rights and purposes, to be Voldemort's spy as well - she was not instructed with withhold any information from the Dark Lord thus far. So, really, what made her any different from the other Death Eaters?

...

A few hours later James, Sirius, Remus, and Hermione all went shopping for an engagement ring. Hermione made the suggestion that James buy Lily a muggle engagement ring - a sort of symbol that while she lived in the wizarding world, he could in turn live in the muggle world she was born into. Sirius and James both laughed at how girly that was and said that wizarding rings were magical, thus making them better.

Remus had said, "She has a point."

Sirius replied, "Girls like shiny things. And there's nothing more shiny than wizarding ring."

"Or more gaudy," Hermione had opposed.

James had chimed in and said, "I want her to get a ring that sings and I haven't met any muggle rings that sing, have you?"

Hermione had just rolled her eyes and given up.

Once they'd exhausted looking in every antique and jewelry store wizarding London had to offer, Sirius proclaimed, "Let's get a pint at the Leaky, shall we?"

"No!" Hermione said, hearing the slight whine in her voice and feeling like a child for it. "The second any of you start drinking, we won't get anything done!"

"I agree with Hermione," Remus said, as he usually did. "I'm trying to stay away from anything alcoholic considering last time I woke up on your living room floor after having played hide-and-seek all night before passing out."

Sirius pouted and looked to James. "How about you? You're the one in charge today, Mr. I'm-going-to-be-a-husband. Stop for a pint or sobriety like we're a bunch of First Year girls?"

James shook his head and chuckled. "Let's just get something to eat. If Sirius wants to drink himself into submission - far be it from us to stop him. And in the long run we're the ones getting receiving free entertainment, yeah?"

"Entertainment?" Sirius inquired.

"You become a right arse when you're drunk, mate," James said, clapping his old friend on the shoulder. "It's good enough to sell tickets for, really."

Remus and Hermione nodded.

Sirius scowled. "Fine. Today I'm not going to drink - just to deny all of you the entertainment." And he marched towards the Leaky.

James beamed and Remus and Hermione. "I'm good, aren't I?"

"You mean that was your plan all along?" Hermione asked.

"Obviously," James said with pride. "Sirius is a spiteful creature. Just tell him that something he does benefits you and he immediately stops. It's quite a useful little tactic."

In the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius was at the bar ordering cream soda - which he looked really irked about - and some shepherd's pie for the bunch of them. Sirius plopped down at a booth and the other Marauders followed.

Sirius looked antsy. "This isn't natural."

"What isn't?" Remus asked.

"Being in a pub and not drinking. It isn't natural."

Remus rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've become a drunk."

"I'm not a drunk," Sirius said defensively. "I am a young man in his prime whose functionality relies on a drink every now and then."

"If, that is, 'every now and then' translates to 'every meal'," Remus shot back.

"Not breakfast," Sirius said, his chin high. "Breakfast is a time for orange juice."

"So you're saying you've never had a drink at breakfast?" Remus challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius hesitated. "Only once. But only because Hermione wasn't home that morning to make me a Hangover Potion, so I took a shot instead."

Hermione reached out to clap Sirius right over the ear. "Are you stupid! That is so incredibly bad for you, you fool!"

"Sirius, do you think maybe that you could have bad drinking habits?" Remus asked.

"No," Sirius snapped. "I'm perfectly fine! Don't give me the 'lecture' look, it's true!"

"I'd disagree with that observation," a deep voice said out of nowhere, making all four of the Marauders jump. They turned to the voice and the man continued, "You are not what I'd define as 'perfectly fine'."

Sirius sighed. "Oh, look. It's my disappointment of a younger brother come to make my bad day worse."

"Hello, Regulus," Hermione said cordially. "What are you doing around here?"

"I've actually come to deliver a message from our father," Regulus answered, pulling an envelope from the inside of his coat. He held it out and Sirius reached for it, but Regulus pulled it away from Sirius's hand blindingly fast and sneered. "Not for you, you fool. For Hermione."

Sirius frowned and shook his head. "I don't like this, not at all," he was muttering.

Hermione took the envelope politely and looked up to where Regulus still stood. "Anything else, Regulus?"

"Yes. Severus requires your assistance in a private matter. He says to look out for his owl. Good day." And with that, the tall thin, dark-haired Slytherin strolled away.

Hermione folded the enveloped in half and put it in her back pocket.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Sirius demanded.

Hermione shook her head. "Perhaps later."

"But...why not now?"

"Because it would be rude of me to read a letter in front of all of you that I have no intention to share."

Sirius gaped. "You mean you aren't going to tell us what is says?"

"Of course not, Sirius," Hermione sighed. "Not everything is your business, know."

Remus joined in, "Hermione, Sirius is right. Orion Black isn't exactly the gentlest man and if he sends you a letter - a summons, perhaps - we should know in case something happens."

James shuddered. "Old Orion still gives me the heebie jeebies. They're both right, kitten. Better let us know so we can protect you."

Hermione frowned. "Let us be realistic," she said slowly. "When have I ever needed protection from any of you or otherwise?"

They all paused and considered this.

"This letter," Hermione said, "that my father has sent me is between him and me. If it was meant for your ears, it would be addressed to 'Hermione, Remus, Sirius, and James' - but alas, it does not."

Sirius was still shaking his head. He didn't trust his father for anything. "On second thought," he drawled, "maybe I will get a drink."

...~oOo~...

Hermione didn't read the letter. Not yet, anyway. She didn't want to add another problem on top of the mountain of them she had already collected. So she went to the box in her nightstand that evening and slipped the letter inside among the journal and the ring.

Then something jogged Hermione memory so hard it almost gave her whiplash.

"Oh my God!" she hissed to herself.

Regulus's eighteenth birthday passed only days before. Lately, he'd been acting strangely.

According to her original timeline, Regulus would die soon in his pursuit to trade a Horcrux for a fake.

And if Voldemort had visited Regulus just earlier that day...

Hermione immediately grabbed her coat and began pulling it on. "Sirius!" she called out, hurrying from her room. "Sirius! I'm going out for a bit - something is terribly wrong!"

And that's when she found a little note taped to the mantle over the fireplace that said: _Whiskers, gone out for a pint. Don't wait up. -Pads_

Hermionesighed and tossed the note into the fire. She looked outside and realized it was dark and raining - Sirius would be out for a long time yet, she decided, and neglected to write him a note.

Then there was a loud thump on the front door. Not like a knock, but like a kick.

Hermione rushed to the door, threw it open.

Standing there, hair drenched and face ashen, was Regulus. He cradled a blanket wrapped around something small in his arms.

"Do you remember," he said hollowly, "when we were young...and I overheard you, Potter, and Sirius talking in your room on Christmas?"

Numbly, and wondering why the hell he was bringing this up so many years later, she nodded.

"Well, you owed me for keeping the secret that James had drunk Polyjuice to look like you," Regulus said, his voice mechanical and cold. "It's time for you to pay your debts."

"Regulus...what's under the blanket?"

With a slow, slightly shaky hand, Regulus pulled back the blanket to reveal a half-dead house-elf. It was Kreacher.

Hermione couldn't stifle her gasp. She opened the door wider and said, "Come in."

Regulus walked in, looking lost and pale, and Hermione led him to the guest room. "Put him on the bed," she said.

Kreacher barely had a pulse. His greay skin was white and his big eyes were shut. Randomly, he'd let out a raspy little rattle of a gasp.

"He...the Dark Lord," Regulus said quietly, slowly lowering himself into a chair in the room, "asked me for a houe-elf...I offered Kreacher...I thought the silly old elf would be eager as always to serve. He was. But now...only a few minutes ago...Kreacher apparated home like this and..." Regulus sighed and rubbed his eyes. "This is my fault."

Hermione pulled the comforter up over Kreacher's body.

"He needs rest," she said. "I'll brew him a few potions, but...he'll be fine, Regulus."

The boy let out a long, relieved breath. "Good...that's good. I was worried...you know he's always been such a dedicated house-elf and I didn't want his trust in me to be the reason he died."

For such a stoic boy, Regulus in that moment looked tortured, exhausted, and scared. He kept glancing at Hermione like she was a noose and he was standing on the edge of a scaffold.

"Regulus," Hermione said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You came to the right place."

It was midnight by the time Kreacher regained consciousness. He looked considerably better with each potion they tipped down his throat.

Hermione and Regulus each sat at his bedside and when his large, wrinkly eyes began to flicker open they each moved forward on their seats and waited.

The house-elf gave a small cough and his eyes wandered until they settled on Regulus. "Young...master...?" he croaked.

"Yes, Kreacher, it's me," Regulus told him.

"Kreacher thought...dead..."

"You're not dead, Kreacher," the boy promised his loyal elf. "I promise."

A small smile tilted at Kreacher's long, saggy mouth. "Kreacher is...pleased."

"You must tell me what happened, Kreacher," Regulus said.

The house-elf gave a shiver and continued to shift his gaze until it landed on Hermione. "Young miss?" Kreacher frowned and said to Regulus, "Mistress be will be unhappy."

"My mother need not know everything, Kreacher," Regulus said, not unkindly. "Hermione helped us. She saved your life, actually."

"Thank you, miss," Kreacher rasped.

"No need for thanks," Hermione said gently. "But it would be good if you told us what happened." But she obviously already know.

Kreacher took a deep breath, his big bat-like ears twitching downward a little, his eyes falling shut as he intoned, "Dark Lord took Kreacher to cave by ocean. In cave was dark water with evil things in it. Dark Lord ordered Kreacher to get on boat with him and cross the bad water to island. On island was... bowl. In bowl was...more bad water. Dark Lord told Kreacher to drink. Kreacher did. But...the bad water made Kreacher hurt. A lot. Was worst feeling. Dark Lord forced Kreacher to keep drinking, but Kreacher wanted to stop. Once bowl was empty, all was left was ...necklace. Scary, moving necklace. Dark Lord left Kreacher there, thinking Kreacher dead. But Kreacher escaped."

When the tale came to a close, Regulus's jaw was taut. "I knew it..."

Hermione looked across the room to her brother. "Knew what?"

"He was always dropping hints...always bragging that he learned how to cheat death...and I _knew_ it," Regulus continued to murmur.

"What do you know, Regulus?"

The boy scoffed, his face flushed with anger. "You obviously already know! The Dark Lord has made a Horcrux! I wanted to know how he'd done it - how he's stayed young and how he's immortal as he claims so I did some reading. Horcruxes!"

Regulus froze. "And now you'll report me to the Dark Lord, I suppose," Regulus hissed. "Because I know his secret. But I won't let you." Regulus stood and whipped out his wand. "_Obliviate_!"

Hermione was ready and blocked it. "Regulus, listen to me -"

"No!" Regulus shot another spell and Hermione once again deflected it. "You'll tell him I know! He'll have me killed! And I won't be killed until I get that Horcrux!"

"Regulus, stop -" Hermione kept throwing up defensive spells because Regulus was frustrated and unrelenting. "_Regulus_!" she shouted, finally having had it with the stupid duel. "_There is more than one Horcrux_!"

Abruptly stopping, Regulus stared at his sister. "More than...one? But -"

"It's sick, I know," Hermione told him. "But you must listen to me, Regulus! I know you're angry and I know you're regretting many things. But you must calm down and listen to me."

"Why should I?" Regulus demanded. "You're his favorite, aren't you?" He sneered. "You were always the one ordered to punish me. As long as the Dark Lord said so, you would shoot Cruciatus after Cruciatus as if I wasn't _your bloody brother_!"

"I did it to protect you, Regulus! If I refused, he would have punished you a tenfold worse than I could have! I had orders -"

"We all had orders!"

"No, listen, I had orders from -"

"I don't want to hear your blasted excuses!" With a swiped of his wrist, a red flash shot across the room, catching Hermione square in the chest.

She fell to the floor, the Cruciatus attacking every piece of her. She forced herself not to scream and shakily took her own wand to silently disarm Regulus. The Cruciatus lifted and Hermione was gasping, standing up off the ground.

She Accio'd his wand and put it in her pocket. "Are you ready to have a conversation like rational adults?" she asked.

Sneering, Regulus spat, "I don't need to hear a word from you."

"Yes," Hermione said, "I think you do." She braced her own wand forward and said the words, "You will listen, Regulus. I know what you're thinking. I know you're angry and want revenge. I know you want to defect. And you will."

"How could you possibly know -"

"I know more than you think I do, Regulus," Hermione said somberly. "But if you hope to survive defecting...you're going to need me."

"Why would you help me?"

"Because I'm not the loyal Death Eater you think I am." She lowered the wand. "Do you want my help or not?"

"And...you won't tell the Dark Lord?" He eyed her with suspicion so prominent Hermione almost wanted to laugh.

"No, I will not."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Frankly, you don't." Hermione shrugged. "But let's face it - it's not as if you have much of a choice. You will die, Regulus if you don't do exactly as I say."

Regulus swallowed. "I need a reason, Hermione. If you don't prove to me that you're trustworthy... As I said. I refuse to die until I get that Horcrux."

Obviously Hermione knew Regulus was sincere. She knew the future, she knew how Regulus died trying to make the Dark Lord mortal once more. It wasn't as if Hermione had her doubts. This wasn't a plot against her. This was just a scared boy who realized, maybe a little too late, that he was following the wrong leader. He reminded her greatly of Draco Malfoy, just trying to follow in pureblood footsteps towards a cause that he was raised to believe in only to have all of his choices come around and dig a dagger into his spine.

Indeed, Regulus reminded Hermione quite a lot of Draco Malfoy.

"Regulus, I'm going to tell you something," she said slowly. "Something you mustn't tell anyone. And you too, Kreacher. It's a very big secret."

The old house-elf bowed his head in servitude. "Kreacher promises, young miss."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Predictions for Regulus and Hermione? 2. How do you think Lily's engagement ring should look? 3. Do you think Sirius is an alcoholic? 4. Favorite part and line? 5. The next chapter's title is "Water is Taught by Thirst" - what do you think will happen?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	33. Water is Taught by Thirst

A/N EVERYONE, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE CHAPTER MIX-UP. IT WAS MY COMPUTER'S FAULT, PROMISE!

The italicized portion in the seventh paragraph of Kreacher's dialogue is, in fact, quoted from the Deathly Hallows.

So this chapter is kind of emotionally exhausting. A lot happens. I've been waiting to write this chapter since I started the story and decided that Regulus needed help when he defects from the Death Eaters. The legacy of "R.A.B." was always one of my absolute favorite elements in the Harry Potter series.

Also, the battle talked about in this chapter is number one in James and Lily's three times they defied the Dark Lord as referred to in the Prophecy.

So...enjoy :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Water is Taught by Thirst

The magic that elves posess is a curious thing. Thought elves are considered to be lesser than wizards - and many other magical creatures - and confined to servitude, their magic leaps over the limits of a wizard's. Plenty of wards do not apply to elf magic, making passing them effortless. Wands are not necessary, transporting from place to place is about as difficult as breathing, and there is no need for schooling in these things.

According to Harry in the future, the invisible boat at the ocean-side cave that held Salazar Slytherin's Locket could only hold one of-age wizard at a time. Also, Apparating directly into the cave was impossible.

So this begs the question: How did Hermione plan on getting her and her brother to the island in the cave while both were of age?

As said, elves were magnificent creatures and the Dark Lord so underestimated them that he neglected to ward the cave from the antry through Apparition by elves.

Hermione told Regulus and Kreacher her plan for how to get into the cave and steal the Horcrux, but they had to wait until Kreacher felt well enough to Apparate all three of them.

They decided to rendezvous in a week.

But Kreacher's words before they left - when he recounted the events one more time - "_Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things... Kreacher's insides burned... Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed... He made Kreacher drink all the potion... He dropped a locket into the empty basin... He filled it with more potion..." _The words made it impossible to sleep.

...~oOo~...

"Hermione, what a pleasant surprise," Narcissa said cooly when she opened the door to find her cousin standing in front of Malfoy Manor.

"It's good to see you, Narcissa," Hermione said as Narcissa opened to door for her to enter the foyer. The entrance to the manor alone was spectacular with shiny floors, portraits, large windows, and a gorgeous staircase.

"Will you be staying for lunch?" Narcissa asked with as much of a friendly smile that woman could have.

"Unfortunately, no," Hermione said.

"Nonsense," a voice said from the top of the stairs. There stood Lucius Malfoy, his blonde hair grown past his ears, wearing an oxford shirt and black slacks with dragon skin shoes. "You will stay for lunch, I won't it any other way. Narcissa, darling, do notify the elves that we have another guest. Until then, come sit with me in my study, Hermione."

Hermione gave Narcissa a friendly and gratitious smile before walking up the stairs to follow Lucius down one of the many corridors in the manor's west wing.

Lucius's study was lined with book cases that hit the ten-foot ceiling and a large desk and furniture made of dark-green, silky fabric and thick cream carpet. A protrait of Abraxas Malfoy sat behind the desk, over the mantle - the last owner of the room.

Sitting on the green furniture was Severus Snape, looked bored and disdainful as always.

"It's good to see you aren't dead," Severus sneered. "Seeing as you cannot seem to make time to write a letter confirming that you aren't strung up over a snake pit having your eyeballs eaten out of your skull."

"It's good to see you as well, Severus," Hermione said with a smile. She took off her coat and hung it on the coatrack. "I apologize for how busy I've been."

"I don't want to hear it," said Severus.

Lucius gave an indulgent smile. "Now, Severus. Hermione has been doing things far more important than sending you love letters, haven't you, Hermione?"

"Thank you, Lucius," Hermione said, taking the arm chair across from Severus who was dressed in a tong-sleeved black tunic with silver buttons up the front and up the cuffs. It was a fancy piece of clothing she remembered Lucius once getting him for his birthday. He'd thrown a fit when he found out they'd bought him presents. Severus hated presents.

"Severus is just sour because he's been stuck apprenticing at Hogwarts," Lucius said.

"You're going to be a teacher?" Hermione said, trying to sound surprised.

"I don't want to talk about it," Severus growled. "Let us talk about Hermione disappearing from the face of the wizarding world instead. Much longer of an absence and we would be forced to hunt for her among the Muggles."

"You do know how to make a girl feel welcome," Hermione smirked, sitting back and crossing her legs. "But, again, I'm sorry. I've been busy. Between Auror training and my tasks from the Dark Lord it isn't as if I have free time these days."

"Excuses," Severus spat.

"Friend, if I didn't know better, I'd say you missed her," Lucius taunted, sitting with them and creating a triangle between them.

"Nonsense," was all Severus said.

"So was there a purpose besides heckling me that you called for, Severus?" she asked. "I must say, I was intrigued that you asked to meet her. It is impolite to invite oneself into another's home."

"I agree," Lucius said.

"In case either of you have forgotten, I could give a rat's tail about politeness. I'm currently residing at Hogwarts, which would have been an awful place to meet, and Spinner's End is currently...occupied."

"Occupied?" Lucius asked.

"I am impatiently waiting for my parents to breathe their last."

"How awful."

"Indeed, they are. They are taking far too long for my taste."

Hermione sighed and said, "Are we going to continue to talk in circles or are we going to get to the point?"

"My, my," Lucius tsked. "Someone is a bit cranky."

"I didn't sleep much last night."

"Neither did we and you don't see us being snippish," Severus said. "Which brings me to the topic of this meeting. Surely you are aware of the attack planned on the Goodfellow family. It was initiated yesterday evening."

Hermione eyebrows shot up her forehead. "And I was not called...why?"

"Earlier yesterday," Lucius took over, "the Dark Lord informed us that you've been terribly occupied and needed a...sabbatical of sorts. So we were charged with debriefing you on the attack."

"But things...didn't go quite as planned," Severus annunciated slowly. "The Goodfellows were absent and in their place were a number of Dumbledore's minions."

Hermione pretended to look surprised - but of course they were there. Ever since the start of the planning, a sect of the Order was taking shifts staying at the house. "Surely it was an easy victory?" she said.

"Not quite," Lucius said with a sneer. "We were outnumbered. We were forced to flee mid-battle."

"Any casualties?"

"Fortunately, no," Severus said. "Unfortunately no kills either."

"Who was among them?" Hermione asked.

"All of your school friends," Severus hissed. "And many others. The lead of the operation seemed to be James Potter and Lily Evans. Because they were so aware of us, we're worried theres a mole in our midst."

"My bet is Pettigrew," said Lucius, the Mafloy sneer still on his face. "He's always been a coward."

"Nonetheless, the Dark Lord is furious. He wants to know why we were unaware of the arrangements to protect the Goodfellows," Severus said, perfectly calm. "My only guess is that we aren't trusted in the Order. Dumbledore is obviously hesitant of us."

Lucius said, "Having two spies you'd think would be easier, but obviously the Marks you bear still scare Dumbledore even if he does believe he has your fealty."

"I don't like this," Hermione mused.

"None of us do," Lucius said, his pointy nose wrinkled. "I do not like having to be suspicious of my comrades. But of course, I am grateful to know the both of you are as faithful as I am." He gave each of his friends a smile. "I could never doubt either of you - but I want to warn you that others will. Especially the Lestranges. They're brutal and Bellatrix hates you, Hermione."

Hermione sighs. "I'm aware."

"And Rabastan has a grudge against you, Severus."

A cold, almost michievous smile crossed Severus face. "Indeed he does."

Hermione turned and gave Severus a curious look. "What did you do to Rabastan?"

"Oh, nothing," Severus purred, crossing his legs.

"It's actual quite an amusing story," Lucius said. "But one for another time. Let us go to the dining hall. Lunch should be served soon and I am famished. Talking to the both of you always wears me out."

...

"YOU LIAR!" Hermione exploded when she entered the flat, kicking the door shut behind her.

She found Sirius standing in the kitchen, cold chicken halfway to his mouth. "Huh?"

"You said you went to the pub! You lied!"

"Oh, dear."

"Why didn't you tell me about the battle last night?"

Sirius sighed and dropped his chicked back onto his plate. "Dumbledore told me not to. It made sense. It's not as if you could have been there with us. We were shocked when you weren't there fighting with the Death Eaters. Worried they'd found out about you and killed you. Can I eat now?"

Rubbing her temples, Hermione said, "Fine. But you're not off the hook for this."

Sirius shrugged and took a large bite of chicken. "When am I ever off the hook for anything? The Potters berated James and I all this morning for missing dinner with them last night. But you've been missing all day, so it seems you've escaped the scolding."

"Poor Dorea," Hermione said, feeling immediately guilty. "She probably had dinner ready for us and everything."

"It's alright, we'll be there next week."

Hermione dropped her head back into the wall and groaned. "I won't make it next week either!"

"What! Why?"

"I've got things to do!"

"What kind of things are more important than Dorea's spaghetti?"

"Life or death things," Hermione told him. "Not as if it's any of your business."

"You've been saying that an awful lot lately," Sirius grumbled through a full mouth. "You've been all shady and shit and it's freaking me the fuck out."

"Don't worry about it."

"I miss the days where you exchanged sex for me to let something go."

"Sirius, that was _once_," Hermione said. "And technically, it was a kiss that you asked for. It just escalated after that."

"Whatever," Sirius groused. "At least it was a hell of a lot better than you demanding I have blind faith in you."

"Would you like a kiss?" Hermione huffed. "Is that what this is about?"

Sirius pouted. "Maybe."

"Sirius -"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" Sirius snapped. "I'm fucking worried about you, Hermione! Every waking moment I'm terrified for your life! When I sleep I have nightmares about you being killed! The only way I get any half-decent sleep is if I've shagged my way into exhaustion or drunk myself to unconsciousness! I don't like living like this!"

"Oh, so now your sexual habits and drinking problems are my fault?"

"No! They're only part of it - all I'm saying is I miss my sister desperately."

"I'm right here -"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT. You're never 'here' anymore! Even when you're standing right next to me, you're like a shell of my sister and I _hate_ it! I've even come to hate _you_ sometimes!"

"Well, I haven't been your biggest fan either lately, Sirius!" Hermione shot back. "You aren't the same happy-go-lucky Sirius that was in Hogwarts, either! The boy I knew in school barely bothered with girls because they weren't worth his time and now there's a different one here every night!"

Sirius visibly retracted. He leaned down on the counter and growled, "Forget it. I don't want to talk to you about this."

"What are you, a toddler?"

"It's none of your business," he quoted sourly.

"You're such a child, Sirius Black!" she shouted. "I hope one day you find a girl that won't put up with your rubbish and forces you to become a better man - because I've tried and alas, I've failed!"

"That'll never happen, love," he told her dryly. "Love is for wankers."

Hermione observed his sallow expression closely. "Sirius, do you...?"

"Have feelings for someone, yes," he finished for her, looking downright miserable.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, I'm in love. But they don't love me back so fuck it," he said, pushing back the plate and scowling. "I've lost my appetite. I'm going to go wallow in my sorrows now."

"Sirius, if you ever want to talk -"

"Why would I talk to you?" Sirius asked. "You're possibly the worst person to go to advice for in love. You've been pining for the same man for years and you still haven't gotten over yourself long enough to make a move."

Hermione frowned. "That's not fair. You know why I can't be in a relationship right now."

"Unless it's with old Voldy!"

"That's not real!"

Sirius looked down into Hermione's eyes. "Aren't you starving?"

Her brow furrowed. "I'm...sorry?"

"Aren't you starving for something that means something? For significance? For something - anything - to just fill you up?"

"You mean...like a feeling?"

Sirius was shaking his head and she could see the desperation in his eyes. "More than a feeling. A force. Something powerful that isn't magic or war."

"You mean love," she said.

"Not just love," he said with passion. "It's a hunger to be bound to something, to mean something. To be more than creation or destruction. To have a single moment where you feel...whole."

The piece of her chest that belonged to Sirius ached because she understood what he meant. She nodded. "Yes. Of course I want that. But it would make things hard, wouldn't it? At this point in our lives?"

"On the contrary," Sirius murmured. "It would be exactly what we needed. But you've felt that before, haven't you? That force?"

"Maybe..."

"I have. And I want it back," Sirius sighed. "I'm sick of feeling...hollow."

"_We are the hollow men. We are the stuffed men_," Hermione recited. "_Leaning together, headpiece filled with straw. Alas...our dried voices, when we whisper together, are quiet and meaningless as wind in dry grass or rats' feet over broken glass in our cellar_."

"That's us, isn't it?" Sirius said emotionlessly. "Broken people that can only lean on one another but mean nothing in the end."

"In the end, Sirius," Hermione said with a soft smile, "we will be everything."

...~oOo~...

Sunday night, Regulus and Hermione met in a Muggle park near Grimauld Place. It was ten o'clock at night when Regulus appeared. The sky was the color of a stormy ocean - dark blue, grey, and black. Stars were masked by clouds and the swings swung in a breeze. There would undoubtedly be thunder by midnight.

Kreacher hobbled alongside his master, looking far better than he did last time Hermione saw him. Regulus looked like he hadn't slept in days, though. Hermione knew how he felt - probably kept his wand under his pillow.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked.

Regulus nodded.

"Yes, young miss," Kreacher said with a bow of his large head.

"Oh, and by the way..." Regulus dug into his pocket and produced a locket with a jeweled S in the center. "Did some reading. Kreacher says it's identical."

"A decoy, very clever," Hermione praised, though this was no surprise at all. She turned to the house-elf. "Kreacher, would it be possible to Apparate all of us straight to the island?"

"Yes, young miss." Kreacher held out his scrawny hands.

Regulus and Hermione exchanged one more look before taking his hands in theirs and being sucked away from the park.

Hermione landed rather roughly on her stomach on a rocky surface that cut her elbow and chin. She could her Regulus grunt next her not, having a much better fall. Kreacher was quick to be over by them and say, "Miss and master okay?"

"Yes, Kreacher," Hermione told him and she heard her voice echo around them. "We're alright."

"Good job, Kreacher," Regulus said.

Kreacher looked vaguely sheepish for a moment before looking around him and giving a shiver.

The cavern had ceilings so high they were invisible, sharp grey rocks, and a black lake surrounding the little island. Hermione picked herself up off the ground and examined the water around her that didn't like like water at all - but more like ink. She watched for a long minute and saw a small, sharp movement that disappeared deeper into the water.

It was cold. The entire save wreaked of evil and dripped noisily, the sound echoing with their voices.

They were standing beside a basin that had a misty green glow, the only illumination in the blackness of the cave. It reflected on the water, making the slat ink surface gave green glares. The edges of the cave were impossible to see through the dense darkness of the cave - it was impossible to see through, even when Hermione lit her wand.

She and Regulus wordlessly took places across from one another at the basin.

"This is the Drink of Despair," Regulus said somberly.

Hermione nodded, her expression just as severe. "I know." Silently, Hermione conjured a glass goblet and dipped it into the pool to fill with the potion. She could see Kreacher out of the corner of her eye flinch and flatten his ears.

Hermione began to raise the goblet to her mouth, but Regulus's hand caught her wrist. "Let me drink it," he said.

Hermione was shaking her head. "No, Regulus, I can't let you -"

"I can't let _you _-"

"You're too young -"

"You're barely older -"

"Really, Regulus -"

"_Please_," Regulus cried out desperately. Hermione's eyes widened at how suddenly frantic he'd become. His eyes were wide and begging. "Hermione, you've been doing the right thing for so long. I haven't. Let me drink the potion."

Hermione knew she wouldn't win the argument and if it came down to it, Regulus could easily overpower her. Numbly, she handed him the goblet.

Regulus said, "Don't let me stop drinking, okay? We both know what this potion does to you. But you mustn't let me stop." He turned to Kreacher. "You as well. I am ordering you - no matter what I say or do you cannot let me stop drinking."

His ears dropped against his skull, Kreacher sadly nodded. "Yes, young master."

With a nod, Regulus held up the goblet and said, "Cheers," before taking the cup to hips lips and downing the contents. With the sound of a painful gasp, the goblet clattered to the ground.

Regulus was gasping and clutching his stomach. Hermione summoned the goblet and hastily began to fill it, the panic rising from her stomach and into her throat. She put a hand behind Regulus's neck and put the goblet in his hand and guided it to his mouth. He swallowed it all and let out a cry of pain.

Regulus, swatting Hermione away, stumbled backwards and hit the ground. "No...no more," he groaned, clutching at his stomach. "Thirsty..."

Hermione filled the cup again and knelt by him. "Regulus, you're okay, you're okay," she kept murmuring, her hands shaking. "Open your mouth."

Regulus shook his head, his lips tight.

Hermione looked behind her. Kreacher was hiding fearfully behind the basin, poking his head out to watch his master. He obviously was too scared, so she continued on alone. "Please," Hermione said. He still stood his head, but she pressed the cup to his mouth and tipped his head back, forcing the potion to slid down.

Regulus coughed and then screamed. The hallucinations were beginning.

"_No_! _No_!" Regulus screamed as Hermione poured more of the potion down his throat. "_Hermione_!" he screamed desperately. "_Mother_! _Father_! It burns!"

Regulus's eyes got huge and he frantically crawled backwards away from something that wasn't there. He backed up so far he nearly dropped into the water, but Hermione grabbed him and pulled him higher up on the island.

"Please, Regulus..." Hermione whispered, putting another mouthful of potion in his mouth. is screams were bloodcurdling and she didn't like how she heard a ripple in the water. "It's almost over, love," she cooed, trying to comfort him in any way possible.

"HERMIONE!" Regulus screamed, though not at her. It was as if he didn't see her right before his eyes. "KREACHER!"

"The last one," Hermione lied, going to him again as her vision grew fuzzy and she realize she was crying - for how long she didn't know. He swallowed.

"Water," he pleaded, his voice sounding like a desert. "So thirsty..."

"We're almost done," she said as she went to the basin again. Through a thin layer of green liquid, Hermione could see the outline of the locket and decided to try to make this quick. She filled the goblet as far as she could and walked knelt next to her adopted brother, the tears continuing to fall.

"Regulus," she whispered, leaning close, "this is the last one, okay? And then I'll drink the rest."

"Miss, you mustn't!" Kreacher said, panicked.

"Can't you see it's killing him?" Hermione said shrilly. "He's already done so much, it's the least I can do!"

"But, miss!"

"You must do as I say, Kreacher!" Hermione yelled. "I am going to give this last goblet to Regulus and then I will drink the rest. You must keep Regulus and I safe and make sure I keep drinking, Kreacher."

Regulus was huddled in a trembling ball, slightly rocking and screaming every now and then. Hermione reached out to his pocket - he cringed at her touch - and took the false locket out. She held it out to Kreacher to took it in his gnarled hands.

"You must replace the locket and then Apparate Regulus and me to James Potter's house."

"Young miss, what about the creatures in the water...?"

Hermione looked out to the lake. Every few moments there was a ripple as if the lake sensed their presence.

"There isn't much left," Hermione said shakily. "I should be well enough to do something if I need to."

Hermione gently stroked Regulus's hair back and then put the full goblet down his throat.

As he whimpered and cried out for his mother and water, Hermione looked down at the basin and took the full cup to her lips and swallowed it hurriedly.

The pain was fast and like a million nails being driven into her stomach and like someone set fire to the veins.

Hermione dropped the cup and looked down at her hands and screamed at what she saw. Her hands were made of bones and rotting flesh, the soggy layers of remaining skin pealing back and dangling. As she screamed she ran backwards, trying to get away from her hands.

Out of nowhere, something cool was at her mouth and liquid that tasted like sand went down her throat and she heard the soft murmuring of something far away, as if she heard everything through a tunnel.

Then she heard loud sloshing and urgent words, but when she looked around all she saw were things crawling towards her in the blackness. She tried to scream, but her throat was too dry.

And then she saw the things crawling towards her. They were mangled corpses in shredded Hogwarts uniforms, her faces sunken and dazed. One had black hair, dead green eyes, and a lightning bolt scar on his head. The other had dank orange hair, freckles that looked like pox marks, and grey-blue eyes.

"RON! HARRY!" she managed to shout, but they sounded like rasped whispers even to her own ears. She lunged for them, needing to save them. Needing to be with them.

A tiny force pulling her back, but she fought at it.

Then more corpses came out of the darkness. The first hand lank auburn hair and emerald eyes that shined like Killing Curses in her skull.

"Lily?" Hermione rasped.

Then came out James with only one arm. Following was Sirius in an Azkaban uniform, his wrinkles deep as canyons, and his eye sockets empty.

And then came forth Remus's corpse.

That's when Hermione could not be held back any longer. She ripped away, blindly ran, and leaped.

And then she hit water as cold as the grave.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Predictions? 3. Who do you think Sirius is in love with?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	34. The Gift

A/N. So this chapter is kind of short, but opens a brand new can of worms for our Mauraders. Hint: Someone is dead. MWAHAHAHA!

More questions, but few answers.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. JKR does. If I DID own Harry Potter, Ron would have died in book 6, Tonks would have survived the war, as would Fred, Arthur Weasley would have died, Hermione would have married Fred, and Harry would have married Luna. Also, Draco would have initially left the battle with his parents and come back in a blazing moment of heroism.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Gift

"OH MY GOD, MY DARLING!"

"It'll be alright, love, we'll take care of her."

"Mum, Dad, we need a room for her. Lily, is there anything you can do for them?"

"I don't know, James...I don't know what's happened to them!"

"Miss told Kreacher -"

"SHUT UP, KREACHER!"

"Leave...Kreacher alone...Sirius..."

"Regulus is right, Sirius."

"No one asked you, James."

The sea in which Hermione was drifting was a nice one. It wasn't cold and it wasn't rough...it was just...serene. And every voice she heard she could identify. Dora, Charlus, James, Lily, Kreacher, Sirius, and a weak-sounding Regulus. But the only voice she truly thirsted to hear wasn't there.

Forcing her heavy mouth open, Hermione tried to speak, but her throat was too dry and all that came out was a weak squeak.

"Someone get her water!" Sirius called out. She felt a large hand wrap around her cold one.

A moment later, cool ice water was sliding into her mouth and it tasted like everything wonderful - like books and chocolate and springtime. So grateful for the water, she gave a cough that loosened her vocal chords and she whispered, "Remus...?"

"Remus isn't here, kitten," Sirius said gently.

Finally Hermione forced her eyes open. She was lying on the floor in the Potters' parlor. Lying next to her and shakily trying to sit up was Regulus.

Dorea was no longer in the room - probably upstairs preparing rooms - but there was Charlus, James, Lily, and Kreacher.

"This must be a nightmare," Hermione whispered.

Sirius was kneeling right at her side and scowled. "Is it that terrible to wake up to all of our ugly faces?"

"Where's Remus?" she asked, ignoring his retort.

"He couldn't make it tonight," Sirius said. "He was busy."

Hermione frowned and Sirius felt a bit of panic was water began welling up in her eyes. "Remus..." she rasped and began to cry.

"He's alright, 'Mione," James said going over and crouching next to her. "I spoke to him a few hours ago."

"I want Remus..." she began to whimper.

"Oh, shit," Sirius said, dragging a hand down his face. "Last time we called Remus when Hermione was hurt, he went batshit."

"It was the full moon," James reasoned. "There's no harm in calling him now."

Regulus was drinking down the glass of water Lily handed to him greedily. He sighed and said, "I'm so glad you're all concerned about me, but I'd like to inform all of you that the only reason she's alive is because of me."

"I don't believe you for a second, you slimy little snake," Sirius spat.

"Master Regulus is honest," Kreacher joined in.

Sirius opened his mouth to hiss at the house-elf, but Hermione raised a hand to whack him on the arm. It wasn't the most powerful of slaps, but it caught his attention.

"Kreacher saved my life," Hermione said, shivering. "As did Regulus. Leave them be."

"Why is she soaking wet?" Sirius demanded.

"She took a leap into a very dangerous lake," Regulus hedged, not offering up any further information.

Sirius sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

...

"Hermione," Regulus said, sitting in the chair next to her bed. "I should have died back there. I cannot continue to defy the Dark Lord and possibly survive - it would have been better if I just let the Inferi get me."

Hermione shook her head and sat up in the bed. "You're wrong. You would not have been better off. I do think you'll have to go into hiding now. Perhaps fake your own death?"

Regulus was now shaking his head. "As long as I have the Dark Mark, he'll know I'm alive. He'll feel that I'm breathing."

"Then we'll send you somewhere far away," Hermione said firmly. "To America or Australia or China. Somewhere he can't get to you."

"He'd still find me," Regulus said morosely.

The door opened to the bedroom in the Potters house where Hermione was staying. Both Blacks turned towards the door and found Dumbledore walking through.

"I apologize for eavesdropping," the old man said, "but I'm afraid young Regulus is right. As long as he is alive, Voldemort will find him - no matter where he is on this earth. To keep Regulus safe, he must remain as a Death Eater."

The frown on Regulus's face darkened. "He'll go into my mind."

"Hermione will teach you Occlumency," Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Until you've mastered the ability to keep Voldemort from entering your thoughts, act as if nothing has changed and be as loyal as always. Hermione will monitor him for any suspicions and if need be, we'll move you to America. But for now...do what you've always done, Regulus."

...~oOo~...

Coraline was sitting across from Remus was a coy smile on her face. Remus wanted to laugh because her promiscuity knew no end. On one hand he didn't mind in the least. On the other hand...he was tired. Literally, tired. So much sex could not be healthy, no matter what Sirius said.

When Coraline first began displaying interest, Remus figured it was his chance to shove Hermione from his mind. After all, she was the complete, polar opposite of Hermione. Nothing she could do, say, or wear would remind him of the girl he really loved, right?

Wrong.

His plan backfired. All the differences only made him think of Hermione even more. His mind would consistently bring forth comparisons when he was in Coraline's presence. "Hermione would never do that." "Hermione wouldn't say that." "Hermione would think Coraline is being silly." "Hermione would cringe to hear the word 'like' that many times in one sentence."

Always, these comparisons spiralling in his head.

It was a sort of torture he inflicted on himself. And it wasn't as if he hated Coraline - not at all. Coraline was a sweet, beautiful, sensitive girl that he could definitely see himself developing actual feelings for.

But she just...wasn't Hermione. If he'd never met the frizzy-haired bookworm, he'd love Coraline by now.

Remus was pulled from his reverie when he felt Coraline's bare toes skim up the side of his ankle. For a second, he thought, "People actually do that? I thought that was purely a muggle film thing."

Then remus jolted at the sound of a voice shouting from his parlor, "REMUS! REMUS! MOONY, GET YOUR ARSE BY THE FIREPLACE!"

Remus, giving Coraline an apologetic smile, stood and jogged to the living area and saw Jame's face in the coals of the fire. "'Ello, mate," James's head said. "Sorry to interrupt your evening - I know you said you were busy - but Hermione's just dropped in, quite literally, with her younger brother and an angry elf and she's asking for you. Well, she was crying like a baby, really. She was hurt, but she's doing better now and Dumbledore says it's okay to call for you."

Remus blinked and shook his head, his brain not exactly absorbing James's rapidfire report. "I'm sorry..._What_?"

James sighed. "Just get your arse over here. Big stuff is happening and Hermione isn't talking. Neither is Regulus and Sirius is just yelling at Kreacher. It's all very dramatic. _Come on_! I don't care what you had planned - don't care if you planned on invading Western Russia tonight - we need your influence and brains."

"I'll be right over, I just have to...clear some things up," Remus said.

"Well hurry up!" And James's face disappeared from the coals.

"Leaving again?"

Remus turned around to find Coraline standing in the doorway, her arms crossed.

Remus stood from in front of the Floo and said, "Unfortunately, yes."

"Because of that friend of yours."

"Yes, James is -"

"No, not James. Hermione. The girl who kisses her brother."

Remus's teeth clenched. "They're not really siblings_." And they don't normally kiss...at least, I'm pretty sure they don't. I hope they don't. _

"Whatever," she said with a roll of her eyes. "That's not the point. Do you just up and go whenever she calls for you?"

"It's not that simple," Remus said, his lips pressing together. "She's hurt -"

"I know. I heard. It seems like she gets hurt quite a lot," Coraline said with a delicate sneer that distorted her pretty features.

"Do you have something you'd like to say, Coraline?" Remus asked tightly.

"Only that you're acting like a besotted puppy dog whimpering after a girl who uses you and will never love you back," Coraline snapped.

Remus raised an eyebrow, his jaw locking and clenching. "Is that all?"

"No, it isn't," Coraline went on, her voice a blend of a growl and whine. "If you abandon a night with me - your _girlfriend_ - to go tend to the bitch that's been strining you along we are over!" She huffed and flipped her hair aggressively.

One of his long hands dragged down his face and rubbed his chin as he tried not to laugh at the situation. He should have known from the beginning that this thing with Coraline would be a disaster. Without a word, he dipped his hand into the bowl on the mantle to lift a handful of Floo powder.

"What are you doing?" she squealed like a pig getting it's tail yanked on, giving a stamp of her foot.

"I thought that was obvious," Remus said, ducking into the fireplace. "I'm going to 'tend to the bitch that's been stringing me along'. I trust you know you're way out, Coraline." And he threw the powder to his feet and was swallowed bu by the green flames.

...~oOo~...

"What exactly does he know?" Severus asked Hermione, sitting in Severus's new chambers at Hogwarts in the dungeon. The walls were stone and he was starting to rebuild his book collection on a few narrow shelves. The furniture was all earth-tones and there were no rugs yet.

Hermione lifted her feet to sit crossed legged on the low sofa. She looked across the little sitting area to her fellow spy. "Not much. He has no clue whose in the Order. All he knows is that I'm not a Death Eater and about the Horcruxes."

"And you consider that to be 'not much'?" he quipped, his lip curling. "It is far more than anyone outside from you and I should know." He paused. "Where is the locket?"

"Safely hidden."

"In that bloody box of yours?"

"Yes."

Severus let out a long sigh and stroked his chin absently as he thought. "We should Obliviate him."

"That wouldn't be fair. He risked his life to get us that Horcrux -"

"That doesn't matter. It would be for his own safety."

Hermione sighed as well. "I suppose you're right."

"Where is he staying?"

"I'm assuming Grimauld Place."

Severus's brow furrowed. "Is that his to live in?"

Looking up curiously, Hermione's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, now that Orion is gone -"

"Gone?"

Severus leaned forward, looking just as confused. "You have no clue, do you?"

"No clue about what!"

"Orion Black died a week ago," Severus said slowly. "Surely you know that, yes?"

Hermione gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Severus had never seen someone's eyes open so largely.

Severus immediately felt an inkling of guilt. "I am sorry. I thought you knew."

"But...but...Regulus, h-he..." Hermione took a deep breath and tried to recover from the shock. "Regulus gave me a letter from him a week ago. He can't be dead!"

"What did the letter say?" Severus inquired.

Hermione dropped her face into her hands and said, "I didn't read it. I...I didn't want to add another problem on top of the ones I already have. I had no clue..."

"Then I assume you have no clue Walburga has gone missing."

"Okay, I think you're going to need to back up and explain everything from the beginning."

"Orion was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his study a week ago," Severus explained. "No blood, he was just, very simply, dead."

"The Killing Curse?"

"Possibly," Severus said with a shrug. "A number of curses can kill without external evidence. They'll have to run diagnostics on his brain, heart, and the other parts of his body that known curses can attack. Or, very possibly, he could have died from natural causes." As he said the last words, he didn't sound even a little convinced of such a frivolous hypothesis.

"That, my friend," Hermione said quietly, "is extraordinarily unlikely."

Severus nodded. "So Orion was found dead. And Walburga is nowhere to be found. She is, of course, the main suspect for now. I would have thought you knew this, with your Auror training?"

"Sirius and I aren't allowed to hear inside information on ongoing investigations at this level of our training," Hermione said. "In case they decided they want to turn us away, they can;t have us knowing too much."

"That makes sense," Severus said. "Though, I cannot believe they did not inform two out of three of the Black children of their parents' death and disappearance."

"We're disowned," Hermione said with a shrug. "The Ministry recognizes the disownment of family members as a real severence in the family. As far as the Ministry is concerned, since Sirius and I were sixteen, Walburga and Orion Black had only one son."

"Well. Reguardless, I do believe you should read that letter. It may reveal the mystery behind his dead and the empty safe... Oh, yes, I nearly forgot. Orion's personal safe was emptied of all money, heirlooms, and paperwork, including the deed to Grimauld Place."

...~oOo~...

Hermione returned to her flat still in a daze.

Her father was dead. Her mother was missing.

Why hadn't Regulus said anything?

Who stole from the safe, Walburga? Did Walburga kill her husband and run?

Or was she a victim too?

"HERMIONE! OUR PARENTS ARE DEAD!"

Hermione jumped at the sound of Sirius's bellows running towards her. He met her and the door and held up a letter. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"I know, Sirius, Severus just told me," she said, still muddled. "What's that?" She pointed to the letter.

"It's your post."

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "Why are you reading my post?"

He ignored the question and said gravely, "It's from the Ministry. They're summoning you. But that's not all. Moody was here earlier and was looking for you, along with a couple of other Aurors. They said they're putting our training on hold until the investigation is over."

"But...why? What does our training have to do with the people who disowned us? Law dictates that if a family acknowledges the severing of relatives -"

"Not when you're named in the will of the deceased," Sirius said, sounding detached and like he didn't believe what he was saying. "Hermione, Orion named you as sole benefactor in his will. You are now suspect number one in the murder of Orion Black and the disappearance of Walburga Black."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. What do you think happened to Orion? 2. Raise your hand is you're glad Coraline is gone! 3. How much do you dislike me right now? 4. Favorite part and line? 5. What do you think are the contents of Hermione's letter from Orion?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	35. Suspect Number One

A/N. According to JKR, Orion Black DID die the same year that his son traded Slytherin's locket for a fake, but that is the only information given. It is unknown whether they died as close together as I made happen and it is never specified how Orion dies.

I debated for a long time if I was going to kill Orion with natural causes or not - but I always had this elaborate murder mystery dancing through my head that I just couldn't deny. Thus the birth of this plot turn. By giving into my love for a good crime, I affectively lengthened this story by a fraction.

So to you who wanted this to last longer, your welcome (: To those of you who have been thinking "this bitch needs to end this shit" - too bad. You have just been delivered a brand new sub-plot...as if there aren't enough of those already, right?

From the beginning I felt I needed to make something of Orion. He's too mysterious and dark to neglect. He's possibly become one of my favorite characters.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, but boy, if I did...the things I would do!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Five: Suspect Number One

"I told you already," Hermione said, trying not to moan or just break down. "On saturday evening, I was with my brother Regulus. One of his house-elves was sick and we were nursing him back to health."

Alastor Moody, Regis Cornwall, and Frank Longbottom sat across the table from her. Frank was currently shadowing Moody was was strictly a bystander during the interrogation, but seemed very uncomfortable with seeing his one of his fellow Gryffindors, his and his fiancee's friend, being questioned so extensively and about something so horrific.

"What did you do earlier in the day?" that Saturday.

"I went for a drink with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin," she sighed, though this felt like the hundredth time repeating it. "Would you like their addresses again?"

Alastor Moody's lip curled at the hint of sarcasm. "When was the last time you were in contact with Orion Black?"

"I was sixteen," Hermione whispered, massaging her temples. The interrogation rooms were small and dark and moldy with a center-ceiling lamp that barely lit the space. The strange lighting was not helping Hermione's headache. "Sirius and I ran away from home when our mother blasted us off the family tree."

"When was the last time you were in contact with Walburga Black?"

"_Sixteen_," Hermione said, barely masking her annoyance for the repetition. "I was sixteen."

"Were you aware that only days before his death, Mr. Black visited his attorneys to have the details of his will altered?" Regis asked in that deep timbre of his. The normally jolly man was now cold and business-like.

Hermione's brow furrowed. That was new information. "No, I was not aware of this."

"He had everything that was originally divided among his wife and Regulus Black given solely to you," Regis said, pushing the will forward for Hermione to look at.

It was true. It was a freshly dated, newly notorized, and had her name everywhere in the document's text. At the bottom was Orion's harsh, heavy-handed signature.

"I didn't know he recently had it changed," Hermione promised. "I didn't even know I was put in the will at all! I never dreamed that he would! Sirius and I left the Black family - I'm not even a blood relative, I'm adopted - so we've always believed we were written off for good. Ask anyone! We never expected anything from the Blacks."

"How do we trust someone that had no record of their existance for the first thirteen years of their lives?" Regis asked.

"You already know about that," Hermione said desperately. "You asked me about it when I started training! I arrived at the Blacks with no memory of who I was or what had happened. The Ministry decided I'd been Obliviated or cursed and I was taken in by the Blacks. _You know this_. Frank, you know this - tell them."

Moody said, "Longbottom, you've been advised not to speak."

Frank gave a nod at his mentor and said nothing.

Hermione sighed and pressed her knuckles into her stinging eyes. She wanted nothing more than to just cry out in frustration and let the tears fall, but fought it. "I've told you everything I know. I didn't even know Orion was dead until yesterday. Did you maybe consider that Walburga found out about the change in the will and went crazy before stealing everything from the safe and leaving?" she offered. "It certainly wouldn't be out-of-character for her."

"We are considering that theory," Regis said noncommitally. "But we are thinking Walburga very well may be another victim."

"Well, I'm not keeping her locked up anywhere," Hermione said with conviction. "If I did, there would be no hiding her for long - she'd scream the house down. I know many who would vouch for that."

"You don't sound very upset about your own mother being missing, the woman who took you in when you had nothing and no one," Regis observed skeptically.

"The woman was a terror, yes, and when I left, there was no love lost," Hermione said honestly, "but that does not mean I'm happy she's gone. I want to know what happened to her just as much as you. But I stick to my hypothesis that she was the one who killed Orion - not me."

Regis sighed and looked in his file. "The investigation is still pending, but since you're considered a flight risk -"

"Flight risk?"

"- we have enough to keep you overnight."

"Overnight where?" Hermione demanded bewilderedly.

"In the cells beneath the Ministry for temporary holding. Longbottom, confiscate her wand and put her in shackles."

"What? No! This isn't right! I haven't been formally charged with anything yet! You said yourself, the investigation is pending!"

But Regis wasn't listening and Frank was reluctantly walking around the table to her to take her by the elbow and stand her up. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he slipped metal around her wrists.

"While I am usually not one to oppose lock-up," Moody groused, "don't you think, Regis, all things considered...we should let her go home? You and I both know the crime doesn't fit Black's profile."

Regis's frown deepened. "I think Miss Black is very capable of this crime."

"I'm not saying the girl isn't capable - she is - but something doesn't feel right," Moody grumbled, sounding very reluctant to even give Hermione benefit of the doubt. "And she's right. No formal charges have been pressed. The law is we let her go."

Regis paused for a long minute and Hermione waited with anticipation.

The Head Auror sighed and said, "Take the shackles off, Longbottom. Moody is right. Black goes home."

...~oOo~...

The picture decorating the Prophet was not a pretty one. It was of Hermione's release from the Ministry two days before, being escorted out by Alastor Moody and one of the Ministry's guards. The investigation of Orion Black's death could not be kept quiet much longer. Ever since all the evidence flooded into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, there was talk. The talk expanded further and further until the last few days became a sub-war in the magical world.

During times of crisis, like the war that was going on with Voldemort, it was oftentimes that citizens latched onto any other tragedy they could find to distract themselves. And this one was definitely dramatic enough to satiate their thirst. A husband dead, a mother missing, with one son still recgonized as such, and two children disowned and one of which, who was adopted, inherited everything and was Suspect Number One.

Like a soap opera.

The headline was exactly that: Suspect Number One. The Prophet was running an entire spread on the murder and disappearance and the ongoing investigation.

In the picture, Hermione was walking out of the Ministry while being bombarded by reporters and looking furious.

"We should make a scrapbook," Sirius said over breakfast, looking at the picture. "So far you've been in Witch Weekly, and the Morning and Evening Prophet. And James says he heard there was splans for a large article on your innocence in the Quibbler."

"Wonderful," Hermione said dryly. "The only publisher that believes I'm innocent is the one who produces nothing but fiction. That will surely be valuable in my trial."

"You aren't going to Wizengamot just yet," Remus said who over that morning for coffee. He took a sip from his mug. "Your alibi checked out with Regulus. They media is just dragging the 'murderous daughter' hysteria because it's dramatic and interesting."

"You're saying that the investigation that has me pinned as their suspect interesting?" Hermione demanded, raising an eyebrow in a be-careful-what-you-say type of way.

Remus smirked behind the lip of his coffee mug and shrugged. "There's something incredibly attractive about a murderess."

"I'll agree with Remus on that," Sirius said with relish. "Something about it is supremely sexy and the danger only makes the draw stronger."

"It also makes you both fools," Hermione said, folding the paper in half to cover the headline. "It's men like you who marry women like Ella Zabini."

"That woman whose been married - what? - four times now?" Sirius asked. "Because it's totally true. Even if we all know those blokes were killed, it must have been a lovely way to die. Ella is gorgeous."

Remus nodded. "She is, but a Black Widow I've ever met one. Marries for money, kills them, reaps the benefits."

"I'm rich," Sirius said, perking up. "Do you think she'd marry me?"

"You're not rich," Remus pointed out. "Hermione is."

"Please, I don't want to talk about it," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"When are you moving into Grimauld?" Remus asked.

"Once it's done being a crime scene."

"Isn't Regulus still living there, though?"

"Yes. He's already been cleared as a suspect and they say it's okay to continue living there even if it is my house." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't mind him staying there, but I don't appreciate the double standard or the obvious bias of the Ministry. Lucius says he's been using his influence to have me cleared, but the public is so enthralled there's not much he can do."

There was a furious tapping on the window and Sirius stood up to get it. He opened the glass and in flew an obsidian owl.

"When did you get Hugo back?" Remus asked once the bird landed on the table where they all sat.

"Just yesterday," Hermione answered as she reached out and took the envelopes from his feet. "Regulus said that since the entire house was mine that I may as well have my owl back."

With the post that Hugo fetched from the public post where Hermione had all of her

impersonal things sent was a very tiny parcel. Small and wrapped unevenly that she could very easily fully close her fist around.

Hermione put it on the side, not thinking much of it. She'd been getting a lot of packages in only the last few days.

"I was just thinking," Remus said and Hermione opened her mail. "Is Grimaul really yours? What with the deed missing?" Remus immediately detected Hermione's pause and frown. She tried to hide it by carrying on with her post. "Hermione?" he said slowly.

Hermione sat back with a conflicted expression and looked at Remus.

"Um...do you remember the letter Regulus brought me the day we were at the pub? The one I refused to open in front of all of you?"

Sirius and Remus both nodded.

Hermione went on hesitantly, "Well...that's what was inside. The deed."

Sirius and Remus's eyes popped open wide.

"But...so it wasn't stolen?" Remus said, flabberghasted. "He sent it to you...only hours before he died?"

Hermione nodded.

"Hermione...with that in your possession...it looks bad," Sirius said, his voice hollow. "_Really_ bad."

"I know," Hermione said quietly.

"They're pending a warrant for the flat," Sirius pressed. "If they find that -"

"I know."

"Well, burn it, then!"

"Sirius, I can't just burn the deed to the house!" Hermione said, throwing her hands in the air. "It's laced with so many wards and curses that if I even tried to destroy it the house would go up in flames with it. Just...trust me when I say it's in a safe place."

Remus and Sirius exchanged unsure looks, but Hermione ignored them and continued to open her post. Three hate letters, one letter from a girl believing in her innocence, and another summons by the Ministry. Then she got to the parcel.

She ripped it open and the second it was open all the way, Hermione dropped it like it was on fire.

Sitting there on the table them was a thick gold and jeweled ring with the Black Family Crest embedded in the top.

"That's...Father's," Sirius said with the seriousness of a funeral. "It was reported to be missing from his body."

"But...how did it get sent to me?" Hermione asked, terrified of the answer she already knew.

"Isn't it obvious?" Remus intoned. "The real killer is sending you a message."

...

That night, Hermione went to her box of things. Inside was now the journal, Voldemort's and Orion's rings, locket, deed, and the small slip of parchment that was tucked with the deed. The parchment was probably the biggest secret in the box - bigger than the Horcrux and the deed.

The note was short and in Orion's very unique, heavy writing. It had no sign-off, but the envelope it came in had her name on it, so she knew it was meant for her without her name being on the top.

Eleven words that could destroy her task:

_I know your secret. I know your lies. I always have._

And next to the words was a hastily sketched hourglass.

Somehow - Hermione had no clue how - Orion Black had known she was from the future.

...~oOo~...

The next day, a team of Aurors were at their door. It wasn't unexpected. They knew their flat would be searched at one point or another.

Hermione watched as they turned through drawers and clothing. Sirius was trying to chat up a good-looking but very somber female Auror who they'd seen in passing a number of times during their training. She still was paying no attention to him.

Finally, Sirius gave up and backed up to stand by Hermione and watch with her, crossing his arms. He leaned over and said quietly, "How long do you think this is going to take?"

"Probably a while."

"Do you think the reason she won't go out with me is because she found the magazine stash in my room?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "That may have something to do with it. It could also be because you have a reputation for bedding them then leaving before the sun can rise."

"I thought I was being mysterious like a phantom or vampire."

"No, you were just being an arse," Hermione said casually as she began strolling towards the Aurors who were moving into her room. She watched from the doorway calmly as they shuffled through all her things. Sirius stood behind her and looked on as well, though she could feel the rigidness of his frame.

One Auror was going through her knickers drawer and was taking out bra after bra.

"Careful with those," Sirius said teasingly. "Only one whose allowed to rip them is me."

Hermione elbowed him hard in the abdomen. Sirius let out a painful "oof", but shut up.

An Auror named Hughes was at her nightstand and pulling out the drawers and setting them on the bed. He was systematically looking through each one. And in the last one, he pulled out the jewelry box.

Hermione's heart instinctively jumped but she took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.

The Auror lifted the lid...

And found it empty.

"Nothing over here," the Auror said to his partner in the knickers drawer.

"Same over here," the other responded, standing from the ground. They both gave respectful nods to Sirius and Hermione before exiting the room to rejoin the rest of their team.

And Hermione just smiled.

...

It took a full month for them to declare the Blacks' case as cold, finally allowing Hermione access to the house and vault that she inherited. Until that point they were being held hostage until her name was cleared. Her clearing was vastly due to three things.

One: They had no real evidence.

Two: Lucius Malfoy was one persuasive bastard.

Three: She had the current Minister, Millicent Bagnold, making her belief in Hermione's innocence clear. That had to do with feminism, Hermione suspected. The woman was very liberal; she would in a few years famously say, "I assert our inalienable right to party."

And as Hermione and Sirius began un-shrinking their moving boxes around the house, Hermione couldn't help but feel that the case with Orion Black was far from cold.

Sirius walked into the room Hermione was in and said, holding up a piece of paper, "Our tenant evicted himself."

"_My_ tenant you mean," Hermione taunted, reaching out of the note and reading it.

_Hermione, _

_I appreciate your invitation to stay at Grimauld Place, but I think we all know that having Sirius and I under the same roof was difficult enough at Hogwarts and we didn't even live together, let alone holidays. I hope you don't mind, but I've taken Kreacher with me. Sirius doesn't care for him and I know how you feel about house-elves anyway._

_- R.A.B. _

Hermione smiled to herself and folded the note up.

"He's stolen from us," Sirius grumbled. "Kreacher was our property."

"Stolen from _me_, Sirius," Hermione corrected again. "Anyway, Kreacher was not property, he was a living being. He deserves to go wherever he pleases."

Sirius paused. "Will you ever tell me what happened with you, Regulus, and Kreacher that night when you landed at the Potters'?"

"I'll tell you what," Hermione said with a smile. "When Remus finishes his puzzle box, I'll let you know."

"That bloody puzzle thing he brings with him everywhere?" Sirius demanded with incredulity. "That thing's impossible! He'll never finish it!"

"Then I guess," she said with a shrug, "you'll never know."

...~oOo~...

For all of you who think the story with Orion ended abruptly or too soon, do not worry. It is far from over.

Challenge: 1. Where do you think Hermione relocated the Horcruxes and deed to before the Aurors got there? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Where do you think Regulus went to stay? 4. Who do you think killed Orion Black?


	36. And All I Loved, I Loved Alone

A/N. Confession time: I love Lucius Malfoy. I really, really do. If I could change this to a Hermione/Lucius fic this late in the game I SO would - but fret not, my dear readers, that will not be happening. For those of you who have read my other completed fic, I will not but be "pulling a Prisoner" this time around (as some of you have phrased it in PMs expressing concern). No last-minute pairing switches.

But, I digress. I just...love Lucius Malfoy. Well, I like YOUNG Lucius Malfoy, mostly because he reminds me of a more civilized Draco. And, well...I love Draco, too. The Malfoy men are just fucking awesome, can you blame me?

So today I was thinking about the very last chapter of this story (as all writers do) and I have decided that in the epilogue the Golden Trio WILL make an appearance - and not just as babies. I thought you all would like to know this to have something to look forward to when the end comes.

I've done some calculating. I think we're in for, maybe, another twenty chapters. This number is subject to change. I am happy to hear the majority of year are happy to have this piece of fiction be nice and long (:

On a completely unrelated side-note - I dislike Lily. Not that you all don't know that already, though.

ENJOY!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Six: And All I Loved, I Loved Alone

"I am yet to full understand why it is that every man in my life absolutely refuses to cut his hair," Hermione said as she sat in the restaurant with Lucius Malfoy who was currently sporting platinum hair that was nearly to the base of his neck.

"Are there many men in your life?" Lucius said with an air of teasing as he snapped for the waitress to come over.

"Don't do that," Hermione said instead. "It's rude, snapping your fingers like that. She's a human, not a house-elf."

"She is a waitress," Lucius said. "She will tend to us when I summon her. It is her job - a lowly one, but a job nonetheless."

Hermione sighed. "You're a lost cause. Anyway, I was just saying that I there is this memo that is sent out to every man I know that advises you all to let your hair grow to your shoulders?"

Lucius wrinkled his nose. "Shoulder-length hair is tacky. Mine will be longer."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione ignored him and said, "I'm serious. You, Severus, Sirius, and Remus. James - thank the gods - trims his otherwise he'd like a porcupine with all of it sticking up. Doesn't Narcissa like it better when it's short?"

"Why should I care what Narcissa thinks of my hair?"

"Oh, well, I don't know," Hermione said mockingly, "maybe because she's your wife?"

Lucius raised one pale eyebrow and said, "It is my hair. You do not see my advising her what to do with hers."

"Shouldn't you care about what she thinks about how you look? And don't you care how she looks?"

"Hermione, while I admire my wife," Lucius said with exaggerated patience, "we do not consider frivolous things such as how the other looks. She is beautiful yes, but it was an arranged marriage, as you remember. It is not as if we possess the acclaimed 'adorable' or 'loving' idiosyncrasies the rest of you tossers with your pursuit of 'soul mates' and 'the one' seem to be so bent on. It's absolutely sickening."

"Careful, Lucius," Hermione said. "Talk much more like that and I may think you were a romantic."

Lucius sneered and snapped his fingers for the waitress again. "What is taking this cow so long?" he grumbled in frustration.

Finally their waitress came over with a jolly smile and opened her mouth to ask us for our orders, but instead Lucius said, "Tell me, miss, how has the famine affected business in this establishment?"

The girl's brow furrowed and she said, "Um...what famine, sir?"

"The famine that has ravaged this country within the time it took you to walk from the other side of the room to our table."

"_Lucius_," Hermione hissed.

"And don't get me started on world war three," Lucius said dryly, sitting back. "It was all very dull."

Their waitress looked a mixture of hurt and annoyance, so Hermione said, "Please ignore him. He's having a bad...lifetime. A bottle of your best red, please, and I'll have a salad and the flounder. Lucius, what would you like?"

"A better server."

"He'll have the beef," Hermione said for him, handing the waitress their menus. "Rare."

The waitress, with tears in her eyes, hastened away.

"She better not get the order wrong," Lucius said, crossing his legs.

Shaking her head, Hermione was incredulous. "You're worse than Severus! And he's absolutely insufferable to take out to dinner!"

"Thinking about Severus," Lucius said, "I've become worried about him. He's isolated himself more than usual and hasn't been to the manor in quite a while."

"This is Severus we're talking about," Hermione said bluntly. "He's always preferred seclusion. When have you known him to be a social butterfly?"

As they spoke a new waitor came by with their red wine and poured it into their glasses. Lucius smiled victoriously at Hermione as if saying "I told you so!"

"Sometimes," Hermione said as the waitor left, "your powers of persuasion scare me. But I digress. Severus is just being Severus, you are looking too far into something that is nothing." She sipped her wine and found she didn't hate it, which was strange. The only reason she ordered red was because Lucius would have thrown a fit if she ordered white, but the ruby liquid was dry, yes, but nutty.

"At the risk of seeming overly cautious or sensitive, I wouldn't like to ignore this," he said. "Severus is, after all, the only person I consider to be a friend."

With a frown, Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Apart from you, of course," Lucius said with a smile that made it clear his previous phrasing had not been accidental. For such a humorless man, he did like to tease.

"So...what?" Hermione asked. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"I think he would be more collegial if you were to approach him, as opposed to me," Lucius said with a nod. "If I were to bring up the subject, he'd be suspicious and paranoid immediately."

"What makes you think that if I spoke to him he wouldn't be suspicious and paranoid?"

"Before the Dark Lord took you as his mistress," Lucius said, twisted the stem of his wineglass between his fingers, "I always had an inkling that you and Severus were...romantic."

"I was engaged to Sirius then."

"Still, it was just a hunch. And I thought, perhaps, one day you two would marry. But now that I know I was obviously incorrect and the Dark Lord has claimed you, I can still see that you and Severus are simply in tune with one another. Not something easy to do with Severus. You handle Severus better than anyone - because, let's be honest, _no one_ handles Severus."

_That_, Hermione thought, _may be the understatement of the century_.

...~oOo~...

Hermione knocked on the door in the dungeons again. She knew Severus was in there, but he was just being stubborn.

"Severus!" she called out. "I will break down this door if you don't answer!"

There was no answer for a long minute before the door swung lazily open and a very hacked-off looking Severus stood on the other side. His black hair was twisted and hanging in his face, his dark eyes were narrowed, and he was wearing a t-shirt and trousers.

Hermione thought back on the years she knew Severus and realize she'd never once seen him in a ratty old, short-sleeved t-shirt.

"Am I interrupting something?" she inquired, though she knew she wasn't.

"Only with the very rare peace and quiet I have in this miserable hell we call life," he growled.

"I'm glad it wasn't something important then," Hermione said cheekily, inviting herself into his chambers. Severus glared at her and shut the door with what was obviously an attitude.

"What could you possibly want at this hour?" Severus demanded, gesturing to the clock.

"It's nine o'clock at night," Hermione said. "Hardly the dead of night."

"What. Do. You. Want?" he gritted out through clenched teeth and a curled lip.

"Lucius is worried about you," she said, getting straight to the point. "Says you've been more of a hermit than usual."

"Lucius is a fool," Severus snarled, skulking over to his favorite arm chair and practically falling into it.

"Yes," Hermione granted, "but he's right. You've been...dare I say...melancholy."

"Leave."

Hermione smiled. "No. Now, please tell me what's been bothering you."

"The only thing currently 'bothering' me is you," he retorted, crossing his legs.

Letting out a sigh, Hermione walked over and sat on the coffee table directly in front of him. "Is it because of the announcement?"

Severus didn't say a thing.

"I thought you were over her, Severus."

"I am," he hissed. "I just don't like seeing Potter so goddamned happy."

"Perhaps you could try finding something that makes you happy...or maybe, someone?"

Severus grimaced. "Typical of a woman to suggest romance would make me feel better at this time."

"I know. It was a stupid suggestion," Hermione admitted. "It's too dangerous for either of us to be with someone right now."

"No, it's too dangerous for us to be happy," he corrected her vehemently. "Happiness makes people sloppy and we cannot afford to be sloppy in our positions."

"But when this is over, you will find something to live for," Hermione told him. "I promise."

"I will be eternally unhappy knowing that Lily Evans will become a Potter," he vowed.

"Does it hurt more because you loved her or because you lost your best friend to the man you hate?" Hermione asked, honestly interested.

He hesitated before answering, "The latter."

Hermione nodded and then stood from the coffee table. Hermione walked over to his desk and absently flipped through the papers he was grading. The school year had just started and Severus was already assigning train-loads of work for his students. One of the students named Reghan Somersby had a larger-than-life zero out of ten. Poor girl was probably a first year Gryffindor he wanted to terrorize.

"Poor girl," she said aloud.

Before she knew it, she felt Severus's presence behind me. "She's an annoying Hufflepuff who sends notes to her friends in class, has the tendency to smile, and her name is absolutely horrendous. And on top of that, she isn't the brightest wand in the cupboard."

"You're cruel," Hermione said, putting the papers back down.

Severus shrugged. "Life is cruel. Now if you're done expressing concern about my emotional health, I'd appreciate it if you went on your way. I have papers to fail."

"Don't you mean grade?"

"With the idiots I'm teaching, it's the same thing."

...~oOo~...

The engagement party was that October and the Potters were hosting it in their very large manor house. They had a room they called the "Hall" which was like a spacious dining with wooden flooring. When you moved the table in the center, it became a dancefloor. The ceiling was made of glass windows so the stars could be seen and the clouds and rain.

Most of the Order was there and the Potters' extensive family. Hermione imagined the wedding would be very similar.

Hermione stood towards the back, keeping to herself and absently swaying to the music that played softly from the walls. It was the perfect background music for chatting. Across the room, she saw the biggest mass of people were collected around the happy couple - Lily was wearing a pretty green empire-waist dress with her hair pulled up into a chignon. James's hand was braced against the small of her back affectionately and he wore a handsome black suit.

The only people that didn't seem to be happy for the couple and not enjoying themselves were Petunia and Vernon Dursley. They stood close by Mr. and Mrs. Evans, but weren't smiling like the older couple. Petunia was fashioning a small, pregnant bump and Hermione grimaced at the thought that the family before her of sour-faced muggles could one day be the same ones who treated Harry like garbage.

Hermione wouldn't let that happen. Not this time.

"A sickle for your thoughts?"

Hermione gave a little jolt and turned to see Remus. He was wearing a rather worn suit with a frayed corner and one missing button. His hair was as shaggy as ever and his belt didn't match. But Hermione could not think of a more handsome sight.

Hermione said, "Oh, nothing. Just...Lily's sister and brother-in-law look horrid." She nodded in the direction of where they sat and Remus's gaze followed hers.

"Yes, Petunia and Vernon," he said, nodding. "Lily says they're quite the magic-haters."

"Petunia is jealous, is all," Hermione dismissed. "And Vernon is looks like a toerag."

Remus smirked. "Why, Miss Black. I've never known you to be so judgmental."

"It's true."

"Probably," Remus agreed. "So, where's Sirius?"

"Trying to get into Marlene McKinnon's knickers...again," Hermione said, pointing in the opposite direction where Sirius was charming Marlene pink.

"Again?"

"Marlene spent a night at the old flat," Hermione explained. "Nice girl."

It was quiet for a moment before Remus said, "You look beautiful."

Hermione looked down at herself. She wore a simple long-sleeved black dress that fell to her knees and a neckline that showed her collar bones but not much else. Her hair was pushed out of her face with pins and she wore ballet flats. In her ears were two silver wolves.

"I look like a nun," she said with a grin.

"A very fetching nun."

Hermione grimaced, but chuckled. "You're disgusting."

Remus was smiling though. "You don't look like a nun, you just look like my Hermione."

"So a bookworm with bad hair?"

"You're so fixated on that hair of yours, aren't you?"

"It's a disaster!" She tugged on a strand of the brown locks and twisted the ends. "Yours isn't much better. Come here."

Remus obliged, stepping closer and ducked his head when she reached up and began rearranging and parting his sandy brown mop. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her fingers on his scalp.

"Oh, dear," he heard her murmur.

"What? Did a clump fall out?" he joked.

"No, but I think I've found your first grey hair." Hermione's finger pressed to a small patch right by his temple. It was a very thin streak, barely noticeable, but very silvery.

"Oh, that's fine," he said with a shrug. "Bound to happen. Probably from the physical stress of transformations."

Hermione nodded and bent up to kiss his temple. "You'll be okay, Moony."

"Does this ever get you thinking?" he asked her. "James and Lily. I know we've talked about it before."

"No, we've _argued _about it before," she teased with a grin.

"Well, yes, but that's because you're so bloody stubborn," he laughed. "But I'm serious."

"No, you aren't. He is," Hermione said, pointing across the room to her womanizing brother.

"You are avoiding this conversation at all costs, aren't you? Resorting to Sirius's stupid puns, I thought you were cleverer."

Hermione smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I just don't want to disappoint you again, because you know what I'll say."

"So if, right this second, I asked you to marry me, you would reject me?"

Hermione swallowed. That was the hard part. If Remus asked her to marry him, she was sure she'd either become so overwhelmed that she died or be physically unable to say no.

But she couldn't very well say that if he proposed she'd die or say yes. That was just silly. So she nodded.

With a heavy sigh, Remus shrugged. "I guess some things can't be changed."

"There are plenty of women here. Why don't you go chat up a pretty girl?" Hermione asked softly.

"That's what I'm trying to do," he answered quietly, crossing his arms and looking downward.

Hermione bit her lip to stop it from quivering. She felt a good, old-fashioned cry coming on. "Um...I won't be jealous anymore," she whispered, leaning close so he could hear her. "I promise, really. This time I won't be. I'll try really hard. And I won't call for you anymore and I won't...make it any more difficult. For either of us."

Remus wasn't looking at her, but instead staring forward. "I've tried moving on, Hermione. It didn't work."

"But this time I'll stay away," Hermione promised desperately. "You won't even have to see me anymore."

Remus sighed. "Maybe that would be better. For both of us."

Hermione's eyes stung and she nodded, feeling oddly detached from the situation. "You'll only have to see me at Order meetings, I promise. And even then..."

"I'll keep away," he agreed numbly. "I'll make sure to stay on the opposite end of the room."

Her head was still bobbing up and down mechanically and she cleared her throat. "So...well, there's no time like the present." She began taking slow steps backwards from him. "Um. You, Sirius, and James should still go to the pub, though. I'd hate to...ruin the fun. I'm...not a very good drinker...anyway." With every word her throat thickened. She tried clearing it again. "And, uh, if you need to come for Grimauld for anything, you're welcome in. The Floo, is...open," she finished lamely.

Remus just watched her with cold eyes and no smile even hinting at his lips. His jaw was relaxed and he looked uncaring. He gave a simple nod.

"So...bye," she said finally with a little wave before she turned and walked away. She walked, staring at only her feet in the opposite direction of Remus for quite a while before she quite literally crashed into two bodies.

"Good evening, Miss Black."

"We saw you walking by -"

"Well, more like jogging, really -"

"And thought you could use a smile -"

"And we've been known to light up a young witch's face -"

"So here we are," the two finished in unison.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett smiled identically broad smiles and Hermione couldn't help but laugh. But the laugh came out more like a sob. But indeed, they did make her smile.

"Was Lupin giving you a hard time?" Gideon asked, crossing his arms and trying to look intimidating.

"Heavens, no," Hermione said with a weak smile. "More like I was giving _him_ a hard time."

"Fiesty," Fabian said admirably. "I like that in a witch."

"I wasn't quite being 'fiesty' -"

"Somehow, I doubt that," Gideon said with a wink. "You're one of the rougher ones, you don't let anyone push you around. Good quality."

"Reminds us of our sister," Fabian added.

Gideon gave an exaggerated nod. "Molly's a brute, ain't see, Fabian?"

"Damn right, Gideon."

"Absolutely -"

"_Terrifying_," they ended in synchronization.

"Would you like a drink?" Gideon inquired. "You look like you could use a drink, love."

"No wonder she's upset with Lupin!" Fabian exclaimed. "The tosser didn't get her a drink! Some people have no manners." He shook his head dramatically.

"No, thank you," she said. "I'm actually an awful drinker. I get a little...mental."

A pair of mischievous smiles appeared before her. They said, "_You really shouldn't have told us that_."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Do you love the Prewett Twins, or what? 3. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	37. Food For Thought

A/N. I like this chapter. I really do. It's fun and light and full of laughs for the Marauders. And let's face it - they need a laugh.

A lot of you are waiting for some more Voldemort - but you will be disappointed for this chapter. But NEXT CHAPTER, I PROMISE YOU THERE WILL BE A DARK LORD APPEARANCE. Not this one, though.

I feel like Hermione needs breathers from her life so that she doesn't jump off the room of Grimauld.

Also, next chapter - Horcrux stuff!

AUTHOR FUN FACT: My favorite slash pairing (and if you read Prisoner, you KNOW I love slash pairings) is actually Remus/Sirius. Don't ask my why - something about those two going at it is really hot: FACT.

ENJOY!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Food For Thought

"Hermione, I'm unhappy."

Hermione sighed. This was going to be fun. "Why, Sirius, are you unhappy?"

"I have been to the pub once a week for the past two months with two wonderful people."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her brother. "And why does that make you unhappy?"

"Because I should be going to the pub with _three _wonderful people."

Deciding to ignore him from that point on, Hermione looked back down at the book she was reading and turned the page.

"Come to the pub tonight. James and Lily are getting married in only a month and we need to soak up as much time with James as possible beforehand," Sirius said, leaning forward across the table to try and get her attention. They were in the dining room at 12 Grimauld Place and Hermione was trying to enjoy her tea and quiet time - it was the weekend and she'd have to be at Auror training on Monday - but Sirius was making that difficult.

"I'm not going to the pub," Hermione told him firmly. "You know I can't. Remus and I have finally come to an agreement we can live with."

"What a load of bullocks!" Sirius barked. "Remus may be doing a pretty good act of dealing with it, but you're nowhere even near masking it! You're fucking zimbie-ing around the house with your books and coming and going with that same blank, sad expression. Wake up, Hermione! It's time to live again!"

"Sirius, I'm warning you," Hermione said coldly. "Leave me alone."

"Have you even been on a single date since you and Remus decided you weren't going to go in circles anymore?"

"You know I can't date! I'm the mistress of a psychopath!"

Sirius groaned and threw his hands in the air. "Always the same excuses! Just go on a bloody date, for crying out loud! It's not that difficult - you let a bloke buy you dinner and maybe go dancing. It's really effortless, I promise. Now. I heard Fabian Prewett and you chatting at the last Order meeting and I had a drink with him afterwards and I think, maybe if you play your cards right, he could -"

"No! Merlin, no, Sirius!" Hermione shouted, covering her ears. "I'm not going on a date - not with Fabian, not with anyone!"

"Just floo Fabian and invite him to the pub tonight, he's a great guy, I promise -"

"No! No no no!"

"Ack!" Siriurs tossed his head back with frustration. "FINE, YOU BLOODY SECLUSE. Fine! But I swear, Hermione, you will regret not coming to the pub tonight - I promise you that!" He began storming out of the room and Hermione, on a split-second decision, chucked her book at him, the hardcover missing him by three seconds and hitting the wall instead.

Then she hurried over to apologize to the book.

...

Hours later Sirius poked his head into the parlor where Hermione was writing up reports for the Auror program and he said, "This is your last chance to come along!" He was slipping on his favorite leather jacket and buttoning the cuffs.

"Sirius Orion Black, you could threaten to skin my alive and I would still say I wasn't coming to the pub," she told him without looking up from her paperwork. "Anyway, I'm already in my pajamas. It's a done deal."

"Boo-hoo," he mocked. "She's got her blasted jammies on. God for-fucking-bid that she change out of them." Sirius rolled his eyes and left the room, calling out after him, "Have fun being a prudish hermit, love!"

The distinctive sound of the front door slamming shut followed.

Hermione continued signing the bottom of all her reports. She was currently beginning to be a third-party observer in interrogations and investigations at the Auror office. She'd been in the field a few times and seen the handiwork of her fellow Death Eaters. Only a few more months and she and Sirius would be junior Aurors. They would have been sooner, but because of the whole suspect-for-murder thing and the suspension things got a little rocky and they had to repeat a few previous processes.

Then there was a knock on the front door and Hermione reluctantly stood and huffed, knowing it was Sirius - he'd either forgotten something or come back to drag her with him.

But when she opened the door, it wasn't Sirius.

He'd been right, though. Hermione was definitely regretting not going to the pub.

...~oOo~...

The three boys all counted to three and threw back their shots. James and Sirius cringed, but Remus just let out a breath and patted the bar for another.

"Someone's aiming to get bladdered quick tonight," James remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Slow down, Moons! We've got all night!"

"I'm a little edgy," Remus explained. "The full moon is in a few days."

"Ah, indeed," Sirius said with a nod. "The furry little problem comes out to play! Tom, lad! Bring a pint for my friend with the long face! He obviously needs it!"

James took a swig from his own tankard and asked the question he knew Remus was waiting to hear the answer to: "How's Whiskers doing, Pads?"

Remus's ears perked up at that, like a dog on sudden alert and paying attention eagerly.

"Can't say she's been doing too good, Prongsy," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Better, but not great. She's going on a date with Fabian Prewett, though."

Remus tried to sound nonchalant as he asked, "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said, nodding his head. "She just has no clue yet. I'm going to talk to him about it at the next meeting. See if he'd be interested in taking her out dancing or drinking, something to loosen her up."

"They better go somewhere Muggle," James said. "Wouldn't want any of her Death Eaters catching sight of her 'cheating' on the boyfriend. We all know how jealous _that_ _one_ is."

All three men shuddered.

"But, hey!" James said, trying to brighten the mood. "At least she had company tonight, right?"

"Indeed!" Sirius said, looking at the clock on the wall. "They should be enjoying themselves by now, don't you think?"

Remus didn't like the look in his friends' eyes. "What did you two do?"

"Oh, nothing," James said with a shark's smile.

"Nothing at all," Sirius joined in, wearing the same smile.

"Whatever you did to Hermione," Remus said, looking at Sirius, "you're going to wish you never had. In case you've forgotten, you live in the same house with her. It wouldn't take much to kill you when you're sleeping."

Sirius's smile vanished. "...Hadn't thought of that," he mumbled.

James clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, mate. If all goes according to plan, she'll be thanking you once the night's over."

"I like living..." Sirius kept mumbling.

James said, "Anyway, a little girls' night won't kill her. It's time that she and Lily -"

Remus's jaw hit the bar. "You sent over _Lily_? _Are you mental_?"

...

"Um...Lily," Hermione said slowly as the redhead waltzed right into the house, "at the risk of sounding impolite, what are you _doing_ here?"

The young woman was wearing a simple flower-print frock with a ribbon around her waist, her auburn hair falling around her shoulders, and carried a large bag of what looked like cooking ingrediants, the bag of flour poking out the top.

"Well, you see, Sirius floo'd James -"

"That's all you need to say," Hermione cut her off, her jaw grinding. "I should have known Sirius would pull something like this."

"Actually," Lily said, sounding a little uncomfortable, "Sirius wanted to have one of James's cousins come over - there is an awful lot of them - and I overhead them and volunteered myself."

Hermione sighed. "I know I may seem like a charity case," she said, "but, really, I'm content."

"The motives behind my 'volunteering' were actually sort of selfish," Lily confessed begrudgingly. "You see, I'm supposed to be finding out what kind of cake I want served at the wedding and Dorea and I were supposed to be making some samplers, but she's feeling a bit under the weather, and your kitchen is much nicer than mine, so I was thinking...maybe you could help me?" She held up the back of ingrediants.

Hermione looked back and forth between Lily's awkward smile and the bag of baking things. The brunette let out a long breath and scratched her head, trying to work it all out in her head.

"I'm really an awful baker," Hermione admitted, absently rubbing at her neck.

"Good thing I'm a brilliant one, then," Lily said with a genuine smile then.

It took a long minute, but Hermione said, "Why not? Kitchen's through there." She pointed at archway.

"Wonderful!" Lily enthused with a grin. "Come one, let's make some cake."

About a half hour, each of them were stirring the batter to two separate types of cakes. Hermione was stirring all the clumps out of a chocolate one and Lily's was lemon, the goo of it was a faint yellowish color. Hermione was one of the few people in the world who found the batter tasted better than the actualy baked product, so giving her such a job wasn't the best idea.

"If you keep dipping your fingers in," Lily said with a somwhat taunting tone, "there won't be any for the pan."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but withdrew her hand from the bowl.

It was quiet for another stretch.

"Hermione, I'd like you to be my maid of honor."

Hermione choked on her uvula. "I'm sorry...what?"

"I want you to be my maid of honor," Lily repeated, not a hint of joking in her tone but sounding borderline determined.

"But...why?"

"It's time for us to get over our petty disagreements," Lily said, "and become friends."

"And who made this decision?" Hermione asked, a little bewildered.

"I did," Lily said confidently. "In the past, I admit, I haven't been the most...hospitable..."

Hermione couldn't help but snort. "You can say that again."

"But then again, you've played a part in our animosity too, you know," Lily said, pursing her lips and giving Hermione a sobering look.

"Only after you called me a know-it-all, incestuous slag," Hermione pointed out.

Lily took a deep, calming breath. "You're right. It was my fault."

Hermione didn't say anything, just nodded.

"But...I'm apologizing now," Lily said, lifting her chin. "Which is what matters, right? Better late than never?"

"I guess..." Hermione answered, suspiciously. "But I still don't understand why you want me as your maid of honor."

"It would mean the world to James, he's been wanting us to get along for a very long time and nothing would make him happier," Lily explained. "Anyway, with Sirius as the best man, may as well complete the Black brother-sister package, right?" She gave a hesitant smile.

"I...I don't know, Lily," Hermione said. "It's your wedding day. Don't you want someone you actually_ like_ as your maid of honor?"

"Despite what you may believe," Lily sniffed, "I do actually like you."

Snort. "Yeah. Right."

"No, really! I admire you, actually," Lily said. "You've kept James and I safe all of this time, haven't you? With that." She pointed to the Dark Mark on Hermione's forearm. "James and I were both asked to join his ranks and refused and you've made it so we haven't been killed for it. I admire that loyalty and risk."

"Gee, thanks," Hermione said wryly. "Only took you how long?"

Lily glared. "I don't have to be saying any of this, you know that?"

"I know," Hermione said sincerely. "And I appreciate it, I really do, but I still don't know if I want to be your maid of honor."

"Too bad," Lily said haughtily. "I've already ordered your dress with meaurements Sirius gave me and I'll hex you to that alter if I need to."

"How does Sirius know my dress measurements?"

"I was going to ask you that."

"No clue."

"That's...slightly perturbing."

"It is," Hermione agreed. She paused for a moment and then said, "Fine. I'll be your maid of honor."

"Be careful," Lily said blandly, "wouldn't want to strain something from all of that excitement."

"I'm sorry, honestly," Hermione said, shaking her head. "That was rude. I should be more excited about this. It's just a lot to take in."

With a very James-like smile, Lily asked, "Will this make it easier?"

And with a sudden flash of white, Hermione was caught in the face with a fistful of flour.

...

The three men were all hurrying through the door of 12 Grimauld Place.

From the kitchen there was a short scream.

The Marauders all shared frantic looks, Sirius muttering, "Oh, shit!"

They all sprinted for the kitchen and when they entered the did not find what they thought they would. In lieu of the blood they expected was splatters of flour and crushed eggs. The squealing was coming from one lily-white Lily ducking behind a chair, trying to protect herself from Hermione's egg-pitching onslaught.

Lily was holding her own, though. She'd bewitched all the spoons in the kitchen to fly from their drawers and stick to Hermione's skin. The redhead was using a steel bowl as a helmet and Hermione had taken off her milk-drenched flannel pants and was left in her tank top and a pair of boxers.

Both squealing and laughing girls stopped abruptly when they realized they had an audience.

Dazed, Remus murmured, "This..."

Sirius added, "Is..."

And James finished with a jump, "AWESOME! A Moony made it sound like we'd walk in to find bodies! This is so much better! This is like...numbers 2, 4, and 7 on my fantasies list checked off!"

"James!" Hermione and Lily snapped in harmony.

"THEY'RE SPEAKING IN UNISON!" James celebrated, punching the air victoriously. He took Remus by the collar and gave him and excited shake. "Did you hear that, Moons? THEY'RE FRIENDS!"

"I don't know if you'd necessarily call us 'friends'," Lily hedged.

"More like...we're tolerating one another," Hermione agreed.

"SAME THING!" James enthused, laughing. He swooped in, grabbed his fiancee up into his arms and spun her around, the flour flying off of her in little white clouds. He kissed her hard on the mouth. "You taste like dessert, love!"

"James, put me down!" Lily giggled.

"And you!" James said once Lily's feet were planted firmly back on the ground. He pointed at Hermione. "Oh, if Lily wasn't here right now, I'd kiss you too!"

"James!"

James ignored his future bride and wrapped his arms around Hermione too. "Oh, my pretty kitten...I love you."

"I love you too, James, now let me go, please," Hermione was laughing.

"No."

"Seriously, James. Let go."

"Never."

Hermione looked over James's shoulder to the two other men standing in the room, still looking a little shell-shocked from the food-fight development. "Can one of you help with this?"

"Oi! Prongs! Off my sister!" Sirius literally kicked his friend in the rump. "Only I'm allowed to touch her like that!"

Everyone in the room laughed as James let go and it was one of those moments Hermione wished she could live in forever. She hadn't felt so liberated and happy in a long time. If she was being honest, the last time she laughed so hard was with Ron and Harry before their war.

Then she was slammed with a sadness so profound she had to fight of tears, but still she couldn't not smile. She'd never been so conflicted between happiness and misery.

Lily explained to the other Maruaders how the food fight had started with actual baking and they all took out their wands and the group began cleaning up the mess.

"We'll help you bake, darling," James said, planting a big kiss on Lily's cheek. "Since Hermione's cookies taste like charcoal."

Hermione protested, "Oi!"

Everyone halted and then busted out in another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Oh my God!" Remus said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. "You really are Sirius's sister!"

"I've never...heard you...sound so much...like him before!" James gasped between cackles.

Sirius exclaimed, "If you any of you ever say she and I aren't alike ever again, I'm reminding you all of this moment!"

Even Hermione couldn't help but laugh. He looked around at the people around the table where all of the ingredients and bowls were. The chocolate batter was still in fair shape, but the lemon was in Lily's hair and dress.

"Chocolate it is, then," Lily giggled with a shrug.

Beaming, Hermione dove her finger into the batter and brought it towards her mouth, but halfway her wrist was snatched and a different mouth descended on her fingers and sucked it clean.

Everyone watching with curious amusement until Remus licked his lips, nodded, and said, "Yeah. Definitely the chocolate."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. How long do you think before Lily and Hermione can't stand each other again? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Who did you originally think was at the door when Hermione answered it? Did you know it was Lily? 4. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	38. You Were Mine, I Was Yours

A/N. Just so you all know, I cried writing this chapter. Fair warning.

If any of you guys want a playlist of the songs I listen to when I write, well you're in for a treat because I've decided to let you know :D I listen to a LOT of Florence + the Machine, which will be obvious.

1. Shake it Out - Florence + the Machine

2. Howl - Florence + the Machine (WILL be mentioned in a later A/N for a Remus/Hermione chapter, hehe)

3. Breath of Life - Florence + the Machine (great battle-fighting song and definitely Hermione's song b/c of the line "Which side am I on?")

4. Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol (this is TOTALLY Remus's song)

5. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

6. Emergency - Paramore

7. Bird and the Worm - The Used

8. Never Let Me Go - Florence + the Machine (will be mentioned in the A/N. before Lily and James's wedding)

9. Running Up That Hill - Placebo

THERE WILL BE MORE :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: You Were Mine, I Was Yours

The Dark Lord was pacing, his fists clenching and unclenching. Hermione sat in the chair primly, back straight until he had something to say. Something with him was...off. The circles under his eyes were more pronounced and his lips were the color of parchment. His hair, which was usually pushed back in a business-like manner was falling forward and tousled.

"Do you know...what it is like...not trusting your own men?" he said lowly as he paced. "There is a breach...I know it."

"My lord," Hermione said. She swallowed. "Perhaps...there isn't a breach at all. Every incident that your suspicious of...well, the evidence is circumstantial. After all, I haven't heard anything amongst the Order about a spy."

"I can feel it, though... There's someone untrustworthy," he murmured, his dark brows pulling together. "The soldiers I thought had proven themselves...one of them is lying to me. _To me_."

"Should we conduct a few...interrogations, perhaps?" Hermione offered. "Severus could supply some Veritaserum."

"Maybe..." he said, one of his long pale hands raking through his hair and grunt in frustration. "You are right, actually. Just to reaffirm their loyalty. I'll leave you and Severus in charge of the arrangements for the interrogations."

Voldemort stopped walking and intoned gravely, "But if their is a spy...they will rue the day they _dared_ turn their back on me."

Hermione didn't say anything, only waited for him to calm again.

The Dark Lord turned to face her and said, "I apologize for my behavior. After all, we haven't seen one another in a week. I should be kinder."

"No need for apologies," Hermione said with a reassuring smile. "I understand your frustration."

"Still...it isn't very gentlemanly of me," he said, walking forward. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you, my lord. And you are very handsome."

He leaned down and touched his lips lightly to hers. Voldemort said quietly, "You are the only person in this world whom I know I can trust."

And Hermione had to fight off the urge to smile.

...~oOo~...

Severus and Hermione waited in the living area at Spinner's End for their guest. The day was grey and dull, the curtains were drawn, but the sound of rain falling was clear. The rug under her feet was worn and singed in one place - Hermione wondered if fire or a curse had burnt the spot.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Hermione asked nervously when she couldn't disttract herself with her surroundings any longer.

"Regulus is the worst Occlumens I've ever met," said Severus bluntly. "If he has no way of protecting his mind with the Dark Lord becoming so suspicious, he may as well be signing your death warrant. His as well. From the beginning we should have Obliviated him."

Hermione sighed and tapped her foot.

Finally the Floo flared and from the emerald fire emerged Regulus. He was wearing a button-up shirt, trousers, and had the chain of a pocket watch dangling from his pocket and belt. He looked annoyed about being summoned.

When the teenage boy was about to open his mouth to probably snappishly tell them he wasn't a child to call as needed, Severus whipped out his wand and uttered, "Obliviate!"

Hermione glared at Severus as he stole the proper memories from Regulus's mind and hissed, "You could have given him some warning!"

"That would have been troublesome," was all Severus said as he tucked his wand away.

Standing dazed in front of the fireplace, Regulus look dizzy and confused. His hand was pressed to his head like he had a hangover and he looked around at everything in bemusement.

"What...what am I doing here?" he inquired.

"Having tea," Severus replied without hesitation. "Don't you remember?"

"No."

"Typical fool," Severus snipped with a scoff before striding out of the room to put on the kettle.

Regulus turned to his sister and said, "But...why would Severus invite me over for tea?"

Hermione had to admit that he had an excellent point. "It was my idea," she smoothly lied. "I wanted to see how you..." Her voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of his cheek at a better angle.

Regulus watched, perplexed, as Hermione stood and walked towards him and suddenly fixated on his face. Her hand flashed out and caught his chin, tilting it roughly and using the other hand to brush aside his long hair.

Lying there on his cheek was the imprint of slightly smudged, ruby lips.

Hermione knew that shade of scarlet very well from her childhood. There was many a time where she'd struggled to rub it from her forehead herself.

"Regulus..." Hermione said, still stunned by the discovery. "You know where Walburga is."

Regulus tore his head away from her hands and grumbled, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Regulus," Hermione said severely.

"I'm not -"

And then Hermione ripped her wand from her pocket and hissed, "_Legilimens_!"

And because of Regulus's lock of Occlumens skills, she was right in.

_"Darling, where are you going?"_

_"To a friend's, Mother. I'll be back soon."_

_"You're not going to see the blood traitors, are you? You know they're the reason your father is dead."_

_"Yes, Mother. I'm just visiting a friend."_

_"Good. I love you, my baby boy." And the raven haired woman stretched up to press her crimson lips to her son's cheek. "Be safe. I can't lose the last of my family."_

Then Hermione felt a pressing. An uncomfortable pressure. Regulus was attempting the shove her from his mind and wasn't doing a very good job of it. Still, Hermione retracted.

"Where was that?" she demanded. "It wasn't decorated strangely...is she staying at an inn? The lamps were bolted to the tables."

"Leave our mother be," he hissed. "She's just keeping herself safe until they catch Father's killer."

"Regulus," she said, half-hysterical, taking him by the collar. "Don't you see? She could _be_ the killer!"

"Mother would never -"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence! Would you really put it past her?"

"She didn't kill him!"

"Then who did?" She shook him and looked him straight in the eyes. "If Walburga didn't kill him, then tell me who did! If the Aurors ever re-open the case and they realize it's her, you are helping hide a murderer! You're an accomplice! How could you be so stupid, Regulus?"

"She's my mother! Just because you hate her - even when she took you in - she is still my flesh and blood! And we_ protect _our family, something you obviously don't understand because you're a selfish bitch!"

Before Hermione realized she was doing it, she slapped her younger brother across the face. The clap of flesh against flesh rang through the room and they were both frozen for a spell.

With a shaky stillness, Hermione spoke slowly with a quiet hurt and fury. "Everything..._everything_ I've ever done... was to protect my family. So don't you _dare_ claim I'm selfish or don't understand sacrifice."

Regulus was still stunned from the smack and remained silent.

Hermione stepped away and murmured, "Tell Severus something's come up." And she ducked into the Floo and disappeared.

...

Hermione had barely stepped through the door when Sirius blew towards her, pulling on his shirt hurriedly. He hadn't heard her come in and pulled up. Hermione could tell something wasn't right - Sirius looked...frantic.

"Sirius, what's -"

"Dorea and Charlus...They're at St. Mungo's. It doesn't look good," was all he could work out. "James and Lily are already there and Remus is on his way. Come on." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the Floo.

...~oOo~...

Dragon Pox, extremely contagious, was especially deadly to older people. They were just more susceptible and the virus attacked more viciously.

St. Mungo's was busy. It always was, especially with the constant attacks and battles going on. The Healers were in a constant state of hustle, transporting patients on cots and delivering potions and salves. It didn't smell like antiseptic the way Muggle hospitals did, but like a potent herb garden.

Sirius and Hermione were practically jogging towards the Potters' room, number 483, and as they got closer they saw the frame of a man sitting in a chair in the hall, hunched over with his elbows braced on his knees and his face in his hands. Despair just radiated from James Potter as he sat motionless, trying to keep her hands from shaking over his face.

Sirius started to speak with panic. "Where are they? Are they -

Slowly James lifted his head and pointed at the door across the hall from them. "The Healers are saying...they waited too long to come in." He swallowed the thickness in his throat and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. "They're just...so damned stubborn..."

Lily walked out of the room, wearing her junior Healer robes, and closed the door carefully behind her. She looked as distraught as James. "We've just given them the cure for the pox...but the illness has spread so rapidly the Healers aren't sure if it took. There was no immediate change, so...it doesn't look good. They're saying in a few days...chances are..."

Sirius dragged his hand down his face, his skin so pale it looked grey. Hermione wasn't in much better shape. There was a cumbersome weight pressing on her chest.

_No, no. They can't die, _her thoughts kept pleading. _They need to be here...they need to meet their grandson...they need to live!_

"You can go in to see them, if you like," Lily told Hermione and Sirius quietly. "They aren't contagious anymore."

They both looked to one another and nodded before opening the door and carefully stepping through.

The room was dimly lit, for the Potters' comfort, and it felt like a sick room. Coughing and heavy breathing, the sounds of chests rattling. In the beds lined up beside one another was Dorea and Charlus. Dorea looked significantly worse than her husband, her skin a pale green and her eyes blood shot, her arms, neck, and face covered with pox.

Charlus wasn't too far behind, but he seemed to be in less pain.

"Look, darling..." Charlus said weakly with a soft smile, his mustache twitching up with his lip. "Our...other two kids...are here..."

Sirius was stoic as he sauntered over to Dorea's said and Hermione went to Charlus's, both sitting between the beds so that they were also side-by-side.

"Why did you wait so long?" Sirius whispered hoarsely.

Dorea said raspily, "Thought it was just a pesky cold, love."

Sirius was shaking his head. "So...stupid..."

The older woman reached out her wrinkled, pox-covered hand and took Sirius's. "Everything... will be okay, Sirius."

Charlus lifted his hand and gave Hermione's hair a plaful tug. "How are you, 'Mione?"

"I should be asking you that," Hermione laughed waveringly. "But I'm alright, Charlus."

"You have to look out for my boys...you hear?" Charlus said and then coughed. "They've been known to...cause some trouble."

Hermione chuckled, but it didn't sound very convincing. "They get that from you, you know."

"No," Charlus said with a heavy shake of his head. "They got it from Dorea...It's one of the many reasons I love her."

Hermione heard Dorea's voice begin shushing Sirius gently. Hermione turned to see Sirius burrying hhis face into the woman's lap. Hermione saw the tell-tale shake of his shoulders. Hermione had seen Sirius cry once before in her life and it had been when he escaped from Azkaban and saw Remus for the first time in twelve years.

"It's okay, Sirius..." Dorea was chanting quietly, like a raspy lullaby. "It's alright...Shh, darling."

While Sirius cried into Dorea's lap, Hermione turned to Charlus with tears in her own eyes and took one of his hands between both of hers and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "You know..." he whispered. "I always wanted a little girl. The day you walked through the door with Sirius reminded me of the day we had James. There was not a single doubt that you both were mine and we were yours... Thank you for becoming my daughter, Hermione and for protecting my sons."

The tears streamed down Hermione's face without a sound as she stared down at Charlus Potter. He'd always been the gentlest, most loving man she'd known and she didn't know if she could live without Sunday dinners and dessert with him, his pipe, and his record player.

In the quiet of the room, Hermione heard Sirius rasp, "I love you, Mum."

Hermione broke. She sobbed and practically fell into Charlus, clutching him around the shoulders and crying into his shoulder.

The real mother and father of Sirius and Hermione Black, the Potters, stroked their children's hair and back and whispered their goodbyes. Because if one thing was absolutely clear in that room at that moment, it was that Charlus and Dorea were going to die.

...

Dorea Potter died the next day and her husband followed two days after. The day Dorea died was an absolute mess in St. Mungo's.

"_NO_! _Mum_!" James had screamed when it was time to move her body. Lily, crying, did her best to hold her fiancee back from running after the cot where his mother's face was shrouded by a sheet. "_MUM_!"

When his father's eyes shut for the final time, James had just pressed his face to Charlus's still chest and sat there for a very long time. Sirius hadn't spoken at all, just went to his sister and wrapped her up in his arms and buried his face into her hair. She didn't feel any tear or hear any sobs - he just needed to hold her and she needed to be held.

A lot of the time, Remus stood in the bad, watching on with a deep frown. He would be the one to bring them all food when they forgot to eat or brought them a change of clothes when they couldn't bring themselves to go home for even a shower. Remus and Lily were the Potters' children's pillars that week when the hospital became home.

James had left the moment his father's body was taken away. Lily followed after him and Sirius had stared at empty room #483 until leaving himself, without a word.

"I need fresh air," Hermione whispered when it was just her and Remus.

"Mind if I follow?" he asked quietly, looking miserable.

"Not at all," she told him with a small smile.

The day was beautiful, which was horrid. With something so terrible happening in the world, the death of two brilliant, loving people, there should have been a storm raging. It was...unfair.

The Hermione watched the cobblestone under her feet as they strolled.

"When I was sixteen," Hermione said, "Sirius and I ran away. Of course, you know that, but...there was no question where we'd go. We knew right away. We ran with our trunks all the way to the Potters' like a couple of..." - she wryly laughed - "like a couple of prison escapees." Hermione knew he wouldn't see the dry humor in that phrase, but she continued. "They took us in without question. They loved us and fed us and nursed us better when we were sick. Dorea would trim our hair and Charlus would tell us stories about when he was young and falling in love with her. We were family...no doubt." She took a deep breath and recited, "There was not a doubt...that they were mine and we were theirs. I haven't felt like that in a very long time, just an overwhelming sense of...belonging."

Remus didn't respond, just listened.

"And... I'm so angry!" Hermione said with a sudden surge of aggravation. "Do you know how bloody annoying it is knowing that if they'd just gone to a Healer two days - _two days_! - earlier and drank_ one _potion that they'd be alive right now? _Two days would have been all it took_! I could just...ugh! Punch something! Or hex someone!" A harsh sob escaped her and she shouted, "Or just throw myself off a bridge! My mum and dad are _gone_!"

Without a word, Remus reached out and took one of her fists and manipulated it around his waist so he could reel her in and hold her.

"They aren't gone," Remus told her. "They're here. They'll be here...always."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Where do you think Walburga is hiding? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Did you cry like I did? :( 4. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	39. No Need to Pray, No Need to Speak

A/N. A few notes before you read this chapter. The date of James and Lily Potter's wedding is TECHNICALLY unknown. There was no specification in any of the books (or movies) and I thought a late autumn/winter wedding would fit them best.

The song for this chapter is 21 Guns (yes, the song by Green Day) BUT the American Idiot the Musical cast version instead of the original because it's softer and more melodic. For the first part, after the Potters' funeral.

The song that you'll want to listen to when HERMIONE AND REMUS dance is Never Let Me Go (hence the name of the chapter, one of the lyrics) by Florence + the Machine. It's absolutely beautiful. I realize this song wasn't in the seventies, but it's nice to imagine that they could have danced to it. Really, they're dancing to a lyric-less symphony, probably.

ONE MORE THING (I'm sorry about the long A/Ns lately) but I'm taking a POLL. How many people think Sirius and Hermione need to have sex ONE MORE TIME, who else thinks that you don't want anyone having sex with Hermione unless it's Remus? :D answer in the reviews!

Enjoy!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Thirty-Nine: No Need to Pray, No Need to Speak

"Does it feel...empty to you?" Sirius asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. It's not the same."

James added morosely, "It feels like a cemetary." He tiped forward and stood up with what looked like great effort. He left out a burdened sigh and said, "I'm going to go get some more Firewhiskey. Who wants some?"

Everyone raised their hands.

Dorea and Charlus Potter's funeral had been a short hour before and everyone sat in their old parlor where Dorea would bring out pastries while Charlus taught the boys new chess strategies. Now that they weren't there, it felt like none of them deserved to be in the room either.

Lily wore a black sun dress, her hair pulled up into a strict ponytail that swung as she walked after her fiancee. They had been having a rough few days. James had become withdrawn and angry, a drastic change from the optimistic, funny boy that he was.

"Can you believe their wedding is in two weeks?" Sirius asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "It feels like just yesterday she would rather gut herself alive than come withing a yard of him."

Remus nodded. "Before we know it, they'll have a house of their own, a swingset, kids -"

There was a large crash in the kitchen followed by a lot of yelling.

Remus, Sirius, and Hermione all looked at one another. A silent conversation commenced with their eyes. They came to an agreement that no one, under any circumstances, would go to see what was happening. They would, however, eavesdrop.

Lily was shouting, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'POSTPONE THE WEDDING'?"

"Just for a little while and then -"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR MOTHER WOULD DO TO YOU IF SHE HEARD YOU SAY THAT? SHE'D KILL YOU! SHE PUT HER HEART AND SOUL INTO PLANNING OUR WEDDING, AND I WILL NOT LET YOU WASTE HER HARD WORK!"

"MY MOTHER IS DEAD, LILY. SHE DOESN'T GIVE TWO FUCKS IF HER WORK GOES TO WASTE BECAUSE SHE'S DEAD!"

"JAMES CHARLUS POTTER, WE ARE GETTING MARRIED IN TWO WEEKS WHETHER YOU BLOODY WELL LIKE IT OR NOT. YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER PAYED FOR EVERYTHING AND PLANNED EVERYTHING. WE WILL HONOR THAT GIFT THEY'VE GIVEN US!"

"YOU JUST WANT TO HURRY UP AND GET IT OVER WITH BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE KNOWING THAT YOU'RE PREGNANT!"

That, Hermione thought, was something she couldn't have predicted from the beginning.

"Maybe...we should all get going," Remus said as the screaming continued. Lily was definitely throwing some pots and pans.

Sirius readily nodded. "Let's go, 'Mione. Before we get caught in the cross-fire. I don't doubt wands will get involved."

"James would never pull her wand on Lily when she's pregnant," Hermione murmured, but still was standing up and hurrying towards the Floo with the rest of them.

"DON'T ANY OF YOU DARE LEAVE!" they heard James roar through the kitchen arch and he marched through, Lily close in tow with her face as red as her hair. "SIT THE FUCK DOWN."

The three Marauders froze.

"YOU CAN'T KEEP THEM HOSTAGE, JAMES!" Lily screeched.

"LIKE FUCK I CAN'T! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS, NOT YOURS!"

"THEY'RE MY FRIENDS TOO!"

"NO THEY AREN'T."

"HERMIONE, YOU'RE MY FRIEND, RIGHT?"

"I d-don't really think I want to get in the m-middle of this..." Hermione stammered.

"ANSWER, HERMIONE!" James shouted.

"Oi! James! You can't just put Hermione on the spot like that!" Sirius said.

"Yeah!" Remus agreed. "If she says no, then she sacrifices the relationship her and Lily have been building. If she says yes, than she's turning her back on you, one of her oldest friends!"

Hermione just stood there, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Does it look like I care?" James challenged. "Answer, Hermione!"

"NO!" Hermione snapped, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to do what you say when you're acting like an arse!"

Lily gave James a pointed, victorious look. "Hear that, Jamie-boy?" Lily taunted. "She thinks you're an arse."

Hermione was feeling very uncomfortable about the turn of events.

"Oh, please," James said with a roll of his eyes. "You should hear the things she said about you in school!"

"Like I care!" Lily shouted back. "I probably said worse about her!"

"I really don't like how this argument has become about me," Hermione said awkwardly.

"I can't say I'm enjoying it, either," Remus said.

"Tell him, Hermione!" Lily said. "Tell him how I called you a slag!"

"Yeesh," Sirius muttered.

"She did call me a slag," Hermione confessed with a shrug. "It's true."

"The POINT is," Lily erupted, "is that even though, in school, we hated one another - we're FRIENDS NOW."

James just half-growled half-groaned. "You are all impossible! I'm done! If you're planning on getting married in two weeks, Lily, you're going to have to find a different groom, because I won't be there." He turned and barrelled out the door, slamming it behind him.

Hermione saw the cracking in Lily's strength. The quivering lip, the collapsing brow, limp arms and shaking hands. Always so prideful, though, she lifted her chin and didn't call out for him the way Hemrione knew she wanted to. Lily, trying to convince everyone that she was pulling herself together, pushed an escaped piece of hair behind her ear and wiped under her eyes.

Siris looked coldly furious. Remus, the same way, said, "Come on, Pads." They exchanged a look and a nod and they were out the same door James had just stormed out of.

Lily had turned her back on Hermione, not wanting anyone to see her fall apart, but Hermione walked up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lily, it will be okay," Hermione whispered, trying to be comforting.

And then Lily couldn't take it. She bawled. Harsh, choking sobs. With only a moment of hesitation, Hermione opened her arms in a questioning manner and Lily immediately fell into them.

...

James was only halfway down the hall when a a force blew up behind him, grabbed him by his shirt and tossed him into the wall with the effort of throwing a ragdoll. James was still recovering from the shock when he saw it was Remus holding him to the wall by his collar.

"Remus, let me go," James hissed.

Sirius was right behind Remus, his arms crossed. "Not yet, Prongs. First you've got to apologize to Lily and take back what you said."

"Don't act like you know -"

"Like I know what you're going through? Is that what you were going to say?" Sirius demanded. "Moony, hit him."

Remus gave Sirius a look.

"Your parents aren't de..." James stopped himself.

Sirius barked. "No, James. My parents_ are_ dead. My parents died when I was sixteen as far as I'm concerned. My mum and dad died a few days ago. So, James, I do know what you're going through. But fact is, you've been planning to marry Lily Evans since Third Year."

"I'm not thirteen anymore, Sirius," James said gravely. "Things have changed."

"The only thing that changed is that Lily actually loves you back now," Remus told him.

"Oh, yeah, and she's pregnant with your child," Sirius said with mock casualty. "Can't forget that little tidbit of information."

"It's time for you to grow the hell up, James," Remus snapped through gritted teeth. "Because though you say you're not thirteen, I can't say that you're not acting like it. Come on, mate. You're going to be a _father_. Are you going to be like this when your kid is around - or worse, _abandon_ him?"

James's eyes got big. "NO, I'd never -"

Remus sliced through witrh rapier precision, "_Then be a man._"

...~oOo~...

The wedding wasn't as large as Hermione thought it was going to be. It was less than the engagement party. The only attendees were a few select Order members, including Frank and a pregnant Alice Longbottom, Dumbledore of course, Lily's parents - her sister and her husband were not in attendance - and of course the Marauders.

The winter was settling heavy on England as it did in mid-December, but the Potters' large yard was warm from the heating charms and good company. Music played from the bushes and the skies and most of the plates at the little round tables had disappeared by now.

It was a beautiful ceremony followed by a fun reception. The kids were especially enjoying it, three redheaded boys running everywhere and dancing like chickens - well two of the three danced. Young Bill, eight now, and Charlie, six, were stealing the hearts of every adult woman attending while Percy sat dutifully next to Molly when the others weren't chasing him. Fred and George sat in a double-carriage looking round and joyful at nine months old and Hermione could see the glint in their eyes that would only intensify with age and mischief.

Hermione, every time she saw Molly, just smiled. The woman was young, with barely any wrinkles, and her red hair curly and pulled up in a youthful bun. She was a curvy woman, but thinner than in the future - though Hermione thought her belly looked distinctly swollen - and beautiful blue eyes that still looked at her husband with adoration.

On the dance floor, twirling his bride and pulling her close in rhythm with the upbeat music was James. In the last two weeks, something happened between he and the love of his life that made a significant strengthening in their relationship. Though still mourning his parents, Hermione was sure that he couldn't believe he'd ever thought of postponing the wedding.

Lily was a vision, even Hermione had to admit. Dove white lace covered her shoulders to fingers and created a decorative shell to her bodice that continued down to her full white skirt. A simple ribbon sinched her waist and the veil matched her covering of lace.

As Lily and James, Alice and Frank, and Molly and Arthur all danced enthusiastically with Dumbledore clapping to the beat in the corner with his smile, Hermione sat at her table, her legs cross as she watched. Hermione did that often. She took in the scene and did some deep breathing to recall why she was there. While Hermione knew her old life, she'd become so deeply embedded in the timeline that Harry and Ron sometimes felt like nothing more than a fond dream.

"Can you believe she's pregnant again?" the man at Hermione's side asked.

Hermione was pulled from her reverie and said, "Who, Fabian?"

Fabian Prewett grinned and said, "Molly. She's pregnant with her number six."

Hermione's eyes popped open and she looked back over to Molly. It was true now that Hermione paid closer attention. Molly was developing a pouch and once Hermione realized that that little being inside of her was _Ron_, Hermione almost died from hilarity. The boy that she was once in love with was nothing more than a fetus rolling around inside of his mother on the dancefloor.

Then Hermione thought about how Lily was little more than a month, as well as Alice, and those children would be Harry and Neville. It was...surreal.

And...

"Oh my God!" Hermione exclaimed.

_Hermione was three months old! _How could she completely forgotten that her birthday had passed?

"I wouldn't say it's all that shocking," Fabian said, amused. He obviously misinterpreted her exclamation. "I mean, at the rate they're going, they'll have a Quidditch team. Gideon and I call her the Baby Maker."

Hermione giggled, still not quite recovered from the fact that she was a baby at the same time an adult. "She'll probably keep going until she gets a girl," Hermione said prophetically.

"Probably," he said with a nod. "A girl would be nice. She'd be a tiger with all those big brothers. Maybe this one will be a little birdie."

"I'm not so sure about that," Hermione hedged.

"If we're talking statistics," Fabian answered, "then this one has a very high chance of being female."

Hermione was shaking her head. "I think it'll be a little boy. I have a feeling about this."

"Five Galleons says it'll be a girl."

Hermione smirked and said, "Deal." They shook hands. She knew she was technically cheating, but it was just too funny for her.

"Well, we have another three months. She isn't all that big for someone so far along, but then again when she had little Perce she didn't pop until month seven, I'd reckon," Fabian said. Then he smiled at Hermione. "So, where do you stand on kids?"

"How forward, Fabian," Hermione chuckled, teasing. "This is only our second date and you're already asking about kids?"

"I was only being curious," Fabian defended, holding his hands up, laughing. "My understanding is that girls think about children early on."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, not me. I'm not really expecting to ever be a mother." At the confession, something tugged at Hermione's chest.

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "The war _will_ end eventually, you know that? It will be safe to have a family after that, if that's your concern."

Hermione shook her head a little. "It's a bit more complex than that. I don't think I'll ever settle down, or have to time to. I get a little stir crazy," she joked.

"So you don't think this whole set up will be yours?" Fabian inquired, gesturing vaguely at the reception and at the woman in white on the dance floor. "The flowers, music, the dress, Mr. Right?"

"There might be a Mr. Right," Hermione said with a sad smile. "But he'd be crazy to ever take me." She had to stop her eyes from drifting to where she knew Remus was.

"I think you're a brilliant catch, darling," Fabian said with a wink.

She laughed. "Many would think you're crazy for thinking that?"

"Why? What's so awful about Hermione Black?"

"I'm a know-it-all, stubborn, a magnet for trouble, overly emotional at times, an obsessive cleaner - ask my brother - and compulsive, terribly plain, tempremental, angry..."

Fabian's expression had become thoughtful as she listed each trait and he voice trailed off when she noticed his staring.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just...interesting," Fabian said. "Because all I see is a strong, intelligent, powerful and impossibly sexy young witch."

Hermione couldn't stop the blush from adorning her cheeks. "Thank you..."

"And any man would be crazy not to realize that," Fabian added with a casual shrug. "It's common sense as far as I'm concerned.

"You are quite the charmer, Fabian Prewett," Hermione admitted. "It makes one wonder why you're single?"

Fabian shrugged. "Any number of reasons, really. Too immature for some girl's tastes, haven't met the right person, there's a war going on and some girls don't feel great about not knowing if their boyfriend is coming home or not."

Hermione nodded. "Understandable. Well, I'm sure you'll find the right person eventually."

"So will you," Fabian assured her. "Who knows?" He grinned goofily. "Maybe _we're_ soul mates!"

"I _do_ have thing for gingers," Hermione admitted teasingly.

"See? Match made in heaven." He playfully nudged her. "Let's dance. This is a wedding for Merlin's sake - we're supposed to dance our feet bloody."

And so Fabian dragged Hermione to the dance floor. He spun her and comically tipped her rapidly, making both of them laugh as two fun, louder songs played. At one point he threw her up into his arms and ran her in circles, making Hermione dizzy but giddy all the same.

Fabian did a wonderful job of making her forget the war and the impending doom. He was light-hearted, strong, sweet, and just wanted to make her laugh. It was one of the reasons she wasn't all that upset when Sirius tricked her into going to dinner with him the week before.

And then the song changed to an incredibly slow and intimate melody. Fabian and Hermione paused and looked at one another, both of them opening their mouths at the same time to say something, but neither of them did, because a different voice altogether.

"Mind if I cut in?"

"No problem, Lupin," Fabian grinned, taking a step back and handing Remus Hermione's hand. Fabian winked at her and said, "I'll be with your brother."

Remus laced his fingers through hers and took his place in front of her until their toes were flush. The symphony immediately made Hermione want to twine her arms around him and press her ear to his heart. It was the kind of song that you could cry to if you closed your eyes and let it fill you.

"Remus, you sneaky bastard," Hermione whispered sadly without any real venom as he took her waist in his hand and began moving them with the music. He just looked down at her. "You're being unfair."

"Are we still not talking?" he inquired softly, ignoring her observation.

"We're trying to make things easier," she said. "It's not like I'm upset with you, Remus, it's just -"

"I don't like it when we avoid one another."

"I don't like it either..."

"Then why do you -"

"Shh..." she murmured, allowing herself to move a little closer to him so that he could hear her when she whispered. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just...dance."

Remus nodded and used his thumb to rub circles on her lower back as they danced. His large hand was warm through the material of Hermione's maid of honor dress. A strapless, dark blue number with a knee-length petal-like skirt made of silk. Her Mark was concealed by a very strong glamour and Hermione's hair was piled on her head with silvery pins that Lily had insisted on.

"You're a vision," Remus told her quietly. "Absolutely beautiful."

Hermione's fingers tingled at the sound of his deep voice and hot breath on her forehead. She closed her eyes and forced out the words, "Thank you. You're very handsome...as always. Though...I prefer you in jeans."

Remus's mouth tipped into a small smirk. "Formal wear has always been Sirius and James's thing." He took a look at his hand-me-down tuxedo and shrugged. "I can't say I don't like denim, myself."

If Hermione was being honest, she'd express that seeing Remus in a tux always did something funny to her belly. She only liked him better in jeans because it was how she imagined him in her mind's eye - jeans, t-shirt, book.

Hermione and Remus only stared into the other's eyes for a long, silent minute. When they were like this, Hermione could almost dream of just melting into him and giving into every pent-up desire - starting with kissing him until it hurt. But Hermione reigned it all in.

Remus deserved better. She was in too far deep to dare risk him now.

"Do you remember the last time we danced?" he asked.

A sad smile surfaced as she automatically answered, "In Dorea and Charlus's parlor. The Beatles were playing."

"It's one of my favorite memories...until the very last part, that is," he said with a wry curl of his lip.

_"That must be wonderful," Remus said softly. "Being so in love for so long, knowing you'll always be together no matter what. Growing old with someone, I imagine, is the greatest privilege we get as humans."_

_Hermione nodded, resting her head on his shoulder._

_Remus bent slightly to whisper, "Can you imagine it, Hermione? Thirty...forty years from now? Dancing to records in the parlor with your husband?"_

_She just let her eyes fall shut and let herself enjoy his voice. The fantasy of the future parlor and husband floated through her head._

_"Because I can," he told her, his breath hot on her ear. "I can imagine the rug and the fireplace and you in my arms, photos of grandchildren on the walls and our wedding song playing in the room."_

_The scene he described mirrored the image in her head perfectly and she began to wonder if maybe this entire dance and his voice was a dream._

_"It's so close, Hermione," he said like a vow. "Almost within our reach. You have to hold in there. I always thought I couldn't marry with my condition and financial status, but with you...I might just be selfish enough to ignore all of that. But only for you, Hermione." He pressed a kiss right before her ear and heard the soft hum in her throat against his shoulder._

_The song ended and so did the trance Remus had her in. They broke apart reluctantly and Hermione said, "I'm sorry, Remus. Sorry that I...can't."_

Back in the present, Hermione nodded. "I'm sorry, Remus," she whispered, raspy, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You do that a lot, Hermione," he said quietly against her temple. "I've learned to accept that you'll always be running in the opposite direction."

"I'm sorry..." she whispered again, the tears leaking out of her closed eyes and dangling on her eyelashes. "I'm so sorry, Remus."

"Shh," he said, drawing her closer and rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's alright, Hermione. As if I could stay angry at you. I've tried, but...it doesn't work."

"Remus, I..." She choked and couldn't finished whatever she'd meant to say.

"I didn't come over here to make you feel bad," Remus said softly. "I came here to let you know...that I'm letting you go."

Hermione's heart split. She stared at his collar and listened.

"I see you happy with Fabian, and who could blame you? He's a great guy. He makes you smile and...it feels like whenever I'm with you, we just get so..."

"Heartbroken," she finished for him, but her voice cracked.

He nodded. "And you deserve happiness."

"So do you."

Remus gave a small smile. "Will we always be saying goodbye?"

"I think it's for real this time," she said under her breath.

"So do I. But, we can do this, Hermione. We can move on."

Hermione looked up at him and she reached up to push a strand of hair out of his face. "We can," she lied. At least, she knew that she couldn't.

"We've...had some fun though," he said with a smile.

"Midnight hide-and-seek," she said with a watery smile and nod, resting her head on his shoulder. Across the dancefloor, James and Lily were holding each other and swaying, his head buried into her neck while she stroked his hair and kissed his temple.

How she wanted that...

"The New Year's fireworks..." He paused. "I guess we won't be going this year, though."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she knew he was right. Their annual tradition since their Fifth Year would be gone.

"You should go with Fabian," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione shook her head against his shoulder and said, "That was our day. I couldn't..."

"I'll admit, I can't imagine going with anyone else either."

They moved quietly for a while, just holding the other and reveling in the warmth they've always offered, enjoying it while they could. Hermione wasn't ashamed to admit that she cried into the material of his shoulder.

The music was beginning its decrescendo and Remus took her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "It's been a pleasure, Miss Black." He gave a bow and a quirky smile.

"And you, Mr. Lupin." She started walking away, but he held onto her hand for as long as he could before he let go.

...~oOo~...

"I hate weddings," Sirius said upon their return to Grimauld. He tore off his suit jacket and threw it at a wall and abandoning it for the liquor cabinet.

Hermione nodded. "So do I. Pour me a glass."

"How can you be upset? You were giggling like a bloody school girl most of the time," he said sarcastically as he poured two tumblers full of liquid amber. "I told you Fabian was a good bloke."

With a sigh and nod, Hermione accepted the glass that her brother handed her and poured it back.

"Easy," Sirius warned, but she just swallowed and shrugged.

"You seemed to be having fun," Hermione said skeptically. "What are you all sour for?"

Sirius grumbled unintelligibly and drank his own glass. "Hate weddings," he repeated. "Especially when I go home alone."

"You're upset about 'striking out', as the Americans say?"

"No," Sirius said. "But I'm upset I don't have anything to make up for how much I dislike weddings."

"With that attitude, I wouldn't have gone home with you either," Hermione chided, though she wasn't into it. She was too tired and sad.

"Oh, but you did go home with me," he said with a lopsided smile.

"Correction: _You _came home with _me_," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Your house and all that bosh. Point is, you're female, and you're having a drink with me, so I did not 'strike out'." He dipped down to kiss her cheek. "Which makes me think...did Fabian strike out as well?"

Hermione lightly punched him in the shoulder. "We're just friends. Just because we enjoy spending time together doesn't mean I'll sleep with him."

"You're right, that's third date stuff. He's still got another dinner before he gets the goods." Sirius wagged his eyebrows.

"You're disgusting."

"I thought I was complimenting you."

"Sexist pig."

"Insufferable prude."

"Lazy wanker."

"Sexy bookworm."

"That wasn't an insult," Hermione laughed.

"It just sort of came out," Sirius admitted with a shrug. "I'm drunk. Anyway, I was running out of adjectives for you."

"The only two adjectives you used with 'insufferable' and 'sexy'."

Sirius shrugged again. "Those are the only two real adjectives that fit you."

Hermione punched him again, harder.

"Oi!" He snatched her wrist to keep him from hitting her again. He didn't let go right away. "If you keep being naughty, I'll have to punish you."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "That sounds suspiciously sexual."

"It probably was," he said. "I'm incredibly randy right now and the alcohol and that dress are sort of addling my better judgment right now."

Hermione raised her other hand to whack his arm but he caught that wrist to.

Sirius whispered, giving her wrists a light squeeze, "I'm serious, Hermione. Every time you raise your arm, your dress slips down. If you keep hitting me, I won't be accountable for my actions."

"Maybe _I_ should be the one to punish you," she challenged, feeling daring.

Sirius growled and kept his hold on her wrists, pushing her back into the nearest wall, pinning her hands under his.

"Hermione..." he said slowly, his voice huskier than usual. "Do you remember that night when you were drunk and tried to get me into bed?"

Hermione nodded and swallowed.

"Well...I think I understood what you meant..." he admitted, his eyes heavy-lidded and dark. He bent down and whispered to her, "I think I need this...You. Tonight."

Hermione closed her eyes. "I think...so do I."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS UP TO YOU! Do Sirius and Hermione have deliciously smutty and consoling sex? Or do one of them see sense and walk away? 2. WHO WANTS A FAN-ART CONTEST? Because frankly I want a special cover for this story, but I SUCK at drawing. 3. Favorite part and line? 4. Why do you think Sirius hates weddings?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	40. Need

A/N. I guess we'll make this chapter's song "Running Up That Hill" by Placebo :) I'd definitely have sex with that song if it was...you know...a person. Unfortunately, it's not. More's the pity. OR "My Body" by Young the Giant - look that one up too. I always thought it should be Hermione and Sirius's song.

WARNING: SMUT (question is, who between? Hermione/Remus? Hermione/Sirius? James/Lily?). If you don't like it, read it anyway. It's good for you. (But if you REALLY don't like it, just scroll until you stop seeing the word "nipple" haha). I do promise that it isn't every messy detail - I tried to keep it tolerable for even those who really don't want to hear about every piston and thrust ;)

ANYWAY, some of you will hate me for this chapter. Others will want to give me high-fives and "good job, mate"s. But even if you aren't happy with the result of this chapter, I PROMISE there is redemption on the horizon. Horcruxes will be stolen, betrayals will commence, love will blossom, and deaths will occur even as lives are saved. I plan on it being pretty awesome.

FAN-ART CONTEST. If you want to take part, PM me. The winner will have their picture made the cover for the story AND get a collection of teasers from future chapters AS WELL AS a shout-out and get to make a critical decision for the story.

Chapter Forty: Need

_"Hermione..." he said slowly, his voice huskier than usual. "Do you remember that night when you were drunk and tried to get me into bed?"_

_Hermione nodded and swallowed._

_"Well...I think I understood what you meant..." he admitted, his eyes heavy-lidded and dark. He bent down and whispered to her, "I think I need this...You. Tonight."_

_Hermione closed her eyes. "I think...so do I."_

_..._

Sirius and Hermione's mouths were crushed together as they clumsily stumbled towards the stairs. At the first landing, Sirius slammed her into a wall but she welcomed the jarring. She understood then what Sirius had meant that day in the kitchen about needing to be filled with something powerful - Hermione needed to feel something. Anything.

Constantly shutting herself down had taken a toll, the numbness latching on longer than it should. Hermione was desperate for that powerful emotion that Sirius had been searching for. The thrill, the connection, the fulfillment. Whatever it was, Hermione needed it. Even if it meant pain.

At least pain was a reminder. A reminder that she was, in fact, alive and not dead like she was becoming. But she had complete and utter trust that Sirius would never truly hurt her.

Hermione tore at Sirius's clothes, popping off a few buttons, but she needed flesh under her hands. Sirius was kissing her senseless still, one of his hands deep in her hair and the other grabbing her bum and grinding her closer. Once she hit the undershirt, Hermione had had enough, shoving her hand under the fabric and up to touch his chest and stomach with hunting, clawing fingers. Her nails raked his firm pectoral muscles and he hissed into her mouth.

Sirius's hands met at each side of her dress and literally ripped it off, the crisp sound of tearing ringing in their ears and making them flush harder and the heat bury deeper in them.

"Wow," Sirius said with some surprise, his lips swollen and damp.

"What?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"You've certainly... _grown_ since we were fifteen," he said with a hungry growl in his throat as he dipped to nibble on her neck.

Hermione almost laughed but then he was doing things to his ear that left her brain the consistency of putty. His mouth was traveling lower, biting her collarbone and sucking at the swell of her breasts.

She felt his hot breath on the rosy peak of her breast and gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "Perhaps...we should continue to the...bedroom..." Hermione panted.

She felt Sirius's head shake. "Not yet, kitten," he purred, dropping what could have been a chaste kiss on her nipple. She whimpered.

"We're in the hall, Sirius..." she whispered, trying to make sense.

"Yes, we are," he said, perfectly level-headed.

"It's... indecent!"

"Love, if it were up to me, I'd be taking you against the family tapestry," Sirius growled, taking her hips in his hands and pushing her up the wall and guiding her legs around his waist. "But seeing as that is a bit too far away, the hall will have to do." Then his mouth engulfed her breast and she let out a little cry, but found herself pressing her hips harder into his, feeling the evidence of his arousal between his hipbones.

With one large hand, Sirius tore off Hermione's white cotton knickers, making her squeal.

Sirius chuckled lowly. "You're as loud as I remember..." And he kissed her hard again, and angry kiss full of teeth and passion and tongues, all the while his hand snaked downward between them to her moist center. His lips and tongue muffled her little shout that slowly transformed into a moan.

Sirius's hands did things to women that most men couldn't do with their entire body, so as Hermione shut her eyes as he worked inside of her, she let her nails claw into the hard skin of his shoulders and just...allowed herself to feel.

...

Hermione and Sirius laid next to one another on the rug. Sirius had made good on the family tapestry threat and that's where they were currently lying. Hermione was staring at the ceiling, still gasping while Sirius looked smugly satisfied with himself, his hands tucked behind his head and that stupid smirk on his face.

"What do you look so damned happy about?" Hermione demanded.

"I did good tonight."

"You don't even fish for compliments, do you?" she asked. "You're just so confident that you were fantastic that you don't even need the girl to reaffirm."

Sirius nodded. "Yep." He "popped" his "p" and his smile widened. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I feel better than I have in a long time."

"So do I," Hermione admitted hesitantly. "I feel... genuinely content."

"Content?" Sirius scoffed incredulously. "Bloody 'content'? _Please_. You wouldn't have screamed like that if you were only _content_." He grimaced. "I deplore contentedness."

Hermione tried to hide her smirk. "Not so smug now, are you?"

He glared. "You're just trying to knock my ego down a peg. Well, it's not happening, kitten. My ego perfectly is intact. You, however, you're lucky I'm such a good teacher, because -"

Hermione lifted her hand and smacked him hard enough on the arm to leave a red mark.

"Ah!" Sirius hissed. "What the fuck was that for?"

"For whatever you were about to say because I guarantee it was rude."

"Are you in my head?"

"No, I just know you far too well."

"Well, I may not be inside of your head, but I know Flourish and Blotts pretty well."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "What?"

He explained, "Flourish" - he pointed at her left breast - "and Blotts" - he pointed at her right one.

"YOU NAMED MY BREASTS AFTER A BOOK STORE?" Infuriated, she covered them with her arms.

"It was either that or Stubby and Boardman, but I figured you'd appreciate Flourish and Blotts more."

"Sirius. Orion. Black. The Third. _I am going to kill you_. No one names my body parts but _me_. How would you feel if I named your...y-you know..."

"Well, considering you can't even say 'penis' without blushing and stuttering even after we just shagged like animals, I can take an educated guess that you wouldn't."

Hermione pressed her lips together and crossed her arms, looking away from him and back at the ceiling. Then she realized something... "When exactly did you come up with their names?"

"When I was fourteen."

"Pervert."

"I disagree. If you heard what I nicknamed your arse, then maybe I could understand being called a pervert."

"WHAT DID YOU NAME MY RUMP?"

Sirius, with an evil smile, leaned over and whispered it in her ear.

Hermione gasped like he'd just smacked her grandmother. "THAT'S IT. NOW_ YOUR_ WILLY'S NAME IS GOING TO BE 'STUBBY', YOU PRAT!"

...~oOo~...

"Oi, Padfoot, it looks like you've been attacked by a giant cat," James said when Sirius walked into the kitchen in nothing but boxers.

Sirius looked down at himself. He'd known his chest and back were decorated with scratch marks, but now that they were all crusted with blood they looked downright gruesome.

"I, uh...kind of was," Sirius said groggily, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on a honeymoon? Somehow I think it'd be strange even for you, Prongs, to come see your best mate when you should be shagging your wife."

"You're right," James said with a shrug. "Our holiday has been cut short and Dumbledore is out of the country for the time being, but I have a message for Hermione. Where is she?"

Sirius smirked. "Probably sleeping. She had a long night."

James's eyebrows lifted. "Did Fabian get lucky?"

"No, but I did," Sirius said proudly with a wink. "Our kitten has claws." He gestured at the wounds covering his torso.

"Poor Hermione was probably trying to get away and you mistook her panic for passion."

"It was consensual, you toerag," Sirius grumbled. "As if Hermione would ever let anyone do something she didn't want. She's cleverer and stronger than that."

"Well, you look like a murder victim. So, tell me, mate. In comparison to your teenage years, how is she?"

"Fucking phenomenal," Sirius said with a small lowering of spirits.

"Well, isn't that a good thing?"

"I dunno, Prongsy," Sirius said, rubbing his stubbly chin. "It's just a reminder that since me, she's had... you know... practice. And I don't like that. I don't like thinking other men put their hands on my sister."

"You put your hands on your sister."

"Yes, but that's different, mate," Sirius said, dropping into the seat beside his friend. "Hermione and I are... we're connected in a way that other people aren't. We just understand each other, our emotions run in sync, and above all we'd die and kill for the other. We're able to shag like beasts and then wake up the next morning like nothing's happened. It's just how we are. But other blokes... they want her for her body. I love her, she's my sister, it's a huge difference because I respect her."

"Wow," James said. "Who knew you were such the soft-hearted gentleman?"

"Shut up," Sirius said, but he sounded amused. "Coffee, Jamie-boy?"

"Thanks. I'll go wake up Hermione."

"No need," a new voice said, shuffling in. Hermione's hair was a brown cloud of tangles and frizz. She wore a large t-shirt and shorts with no shoes. "Good morning, James. Why aren't you with Lily?"

"Change of plans," James said with a shrug. "Dumbledore's in Russia and he asked me to talk to you. He says to take care of the Diadem, whatever that means."

Hermione let out a heavy sigh. "Wonderful. Anything else?"

"Yes. Something about asking assistance from Snape." James grimaced. "Ugh."

Hermione sighed. Visiting Snape lately was not the easiest task. He'd been more moody than usual, and Hermione knew she was experiencing the ascent from the boy she knew in school to the grown professor she knew in the future. The cynicism had taken hold and was becoming more and more pronounced as time went on.

"Alright," Hermione half-groaned, strolling over to the counter where Sirius was getting the coffee pot ready. Sirius plopped a kiss onto her head and she continued looking for oatmeal, but only after giving his shoulder a friendly rub.

James shook his head. Those two had one of the strangest relationships he'd ever seen. They bordered on romantic, and yet James knew that they just weren't meant to be together in the way he and Lily were. Hermione and Sirius knew what the other needed and would do anything to make them happy.

Even if that included shagging like animals. James could only smile at the light bruising at Hermione's wrists. He wasn't concerned, though. Sirius wouldn't intentionally harm Hermione. And as Sirius had said, Hermione could hold her own.

"I guess I know what I'm doing today," Hermione muttered. "I better have two cups of coffee if I'm going to see Severus. What will you two be up to?"

"Making love to my gorgeous, ginger wife," James said, full of pride, his chest practically puffing out.

"And I'll be here, waiting for when Lily finally realizes what a twit James is and decides she wants a real man to occupy her time with," Sirius said casually. "Or until you get home, darling and then we can play house."

"Did you just simultaneously imply that you are going to seduce both my wife and Hermione in the same day?"

"I could do it, you know."

"No, you couldn't," Hermione told him. "Lily is in love and I have better sense."

James rose an eyebrow. "You didn't have better sense last night."

The brunette glared darkly at Sirius before explaining to James, "That's different. I was sad, so was he, and we'd both had a bit to drink."

"What made you sad enough to drive you into Sirius's bed?" James inquired. "Do you have a fatal disease or are you predicting an apocalypse?"

Hermione couldn't find it in her to laugh. All she could think about was the reason she was sad. "Nothing..." she answered faintly, taking a mug from the cabinet and taking out the cream.

James looked at Sirius for an explanation.

"Her and Remus had a talk," Sirius summed up. "He's moving on, she's pretending that she's moving on. It's all very dramatic."

"But...I thought Hermione was dating Fabian Prewett?"

"She is."

"But... Hermione, aren't you happy with Fabian?"

Hermione sighed. "He makes me laugh and helps me forget everything for a little bit, but we've both agreed that we're nothing serious. He agrees that starting an intimate relationship during the war is stupid. For now we're just acting as distractions for one another."

"So...it's okay to go to dinners and weddings with Fabian, but not with Remus, who you're head over heels in love with?" James clarified.

"Did you not hear a word that I just said?" Hermione demanded. "We're not in a real relationship. We are friends. Remus and I... the more we spend time together, the more it hurts. For both of us. Because we'll always want more when we can't have it. It's a constant argument. He wants to be together, I say that we can't. Not until the war is over."

"Hermione, that could take years."

"Which is exactly why we're moving on," Hermione said with a bit more confidence. "In a few years, we'll have changed and the war would put such a strain on our relationship that by the end of it, I highly doubt we'll want to be together anymore - but there will be the sense of loyalty, the guilt, the history. And while I think..." She swallowed. "But there's that chance that I'll still love him so much that it hurts and he won't. Better to play it safe and let it go now. Who knows? I could be dead by the end of this." She shrugged.

Sirius flinched but didn't say anything. He wouldn't be letting Hermione die anytime soon.

"Hermione, Remus could be dead as well," James pointed out.

Hermione gave a shake of her head. "No. He'll live. I'll make sure of it. Everything I've ever done - becoming a spy and soldier - has been to keep you three safe."

Sirius and James both didn't say anything for a moment.

Sirius rubbed his forehead. "You're too selfless, you know that?" he practically growled. "You gave up the love of you life for his own good and you've sacrificed your entire life for your friends. You've put your life on hold for this war and the cause. We aren't worth your life, Hermione."

"Oh, but Sirius," Hermione said with a sincere smile. "You three...my Marauders... are more than worth it."

...~oOo~...

"Do you know what I strongly dislike?" Lucius Malfoy demanded.

"What's that?"

"Liars."

Hermione forced herself not to cringe. "Has someone lied to you recently?"

"I'm not sure who, but yes," Lucius murmured, stroking his thumb across his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Of course you've heard the talk of a mole amongst us. I dislike this overwhelming feeling of being on the edge of a cliff. Like I am so close to this despicable thing and I can't quite put my finger on it. A mole could very well be our downfall. But no matter, I've asked you over to deliver some...news."

"News?"

"Yes. Narcissa is pregnant."

"Indeed, that is news," Hermione said, putting on a broad smile. "Why do you seem so...morose?"

"Malfoys do not get morose," Lucius sneered. "We get pensive and contemplative."

"My apologies," Hermione smirked.

"But the reason why I am pensive and contemplative is that I have a strong dislike for children," Lucius said with a regal sort of shrug. "Though, I never imagined not having children. I need an heir. That does not mean I am happy about it. Reproduction is the reason for marrying, yes?"

"For some like you, I suppose," Hermione said.

"For you, as well. It is why you were in that deranged engagement with Black," Lucius said. "To carry on the Black names."

"Yes, that is correct."

"It is the same for the Malfoys, of course. It is the same for the world. The only reason for the institution of marriage is the survival of our race."

"I always thought there was something to do with caring somewhere in there."

"Don't be foolish. Caring, as well as the insane notion of 'love', are figments of the imagination. There was a time where humans felt three things: Lethargy, hunger, and lust. One slept for energy, one ate for energy, and one lusted for the sake of reproduction. The development of marriage is when all of it went awry. It's a nuisance. The only reason why people marry is because it is considered improper to bear a child before tying the knot."

"What about the couples who are married and have no children?"

"Ah," Lucius said, as if he was observing a particularly intriguing specimen. "Those are the idiots who have become so immersed in their imaginations that they think love actually exists."

Hermione gave a grin. "Did you call me over to tell me your wife is pregnant and then go on a tirade about the flaws of the heart, mind, and marriage?"

Lucius paused. "I may have, actually."

"Doesn't that seem a bit... pointless? Couldn't you have sent a letter?"

Lucius sighed and sat back in his chair. "I found myself eager for your company. I have no idea why, but I felt compelled to call you over. Can't a man just want to see one of his oldest and dearest friends?"

"While I am very touched that you just wanted to see me, it doesn't seem like you to go through such lengths for something so... simplistic."

"Perhaps you are right. Maybe I am morose." He rested his head against the back of his chair and looked at the ceiling until he heard Hermione suppressing laughter. "Are you mocking me?"

"The great Lucius Malfoy called on a friend just to say hello because he was feeling a little melancholy," Hermione giggled. "The concept is comical."

"So is your hair, but you don't see me giggling like a pixie over that."

"You have a strange fixation on hair."

"I have a strange fixation on my own hair," he corrected her. "The only feelings I have toward your hair are passing abhorrence and mild indifference."

"May I go now? I don't like that you're making fun of my hair when I took the time to come all the way over just so you could go on about how you don't like children, marriage, or love."

"No, you may not go."

"Why is that?"

"Purely because you asked. Perhaps if you hadn't, I'd have dismissed you by now, but now I find too much amusement in keeping you here. Tea?"

"I'm not your house-elf or wife, Lucius," Hermione said, standing up. "I come and go as I please. I allow you to summon me because you're my friend, but I will leave when I find it necessary. Now, I have an appointment to keep with Severus. Good day." And she began walking towards the door.

"Stop for a moment," Lucius said, waving her back over. "You may go, but I have a question first."

She sighed, but waited.

"The Dark Lord is as much of a cynic as I am when it comes to such petty rituals such as weddings and all of that," Lucius said. "But heirs are something every powerful man thinks about, and he is the most powerful of us all. So, how will you feel, Hermione, when the Dark Lord asks you to produce a son?"

...~oOo~...

A/N. Sorry about the time it took to update! I had a doctor's appointment and family things that got in the way, and on top of it all, I had to start packing again. ALSO - this is not a pregnant Hermione fic, just so you know, so there will be no getting knocked up by Voldy.

Challenge: 1. The Diadem? Oh gee! What do you think is going to happen? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Was the sexy part okay? :/ I was worried about it. 4. If Hermione had a son, what would his name be? (completely hypothetical - like I said, this is not a pregnancy fic).

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	41. Into the Maze

A/N. All of your support in my recent health problems truly touches me, thank you so so much! I could not ask for better readers! You've all become real friends and make my obstacles in life easier.

So far nothing is too urgent with my illness, but I have to be monitored closely by my roommate and a nurse who visits once a day. So at least I'm cleared for staying home for now.

Because of the baby, they couldn't give me the normal medications and tests they would have prescribed so it made the process more complicated. But we are okay (:

I am currently nineteen weeks along and in a week, I'll be finding out the sex! So everyone should take a vote to see if they think it's a boy or girl and what their names should be :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-One: Into the Maze

"I fear that we, perhaps, made the structure... impossible to infiltrate." Severus's lip curled.

"Nothing is impossible to break into," Hermione told Severus confidently. "Trust me."

"Gringotts is impossible to break into," Severus pointed out.

Trying to hold back the smirk, Hermione said, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Let's get back to the problem at hand. Let's go over the wards again."

"Beast, wall, labyrinth, hatch, and a manifold of curses," Severus rattled off, putting down a finger for each. "It is a great misfortune that we were so thorough with protecting the object - not that we necessarily knew we had to steal it again later, but the point remains."

Hermione shrugged and said, "I knew we'd have to steal it later."

"You did, didn't you?" he said dryly. "Of course you did. Couldn't have suggested something simpler, could you've?"

Just shaking her head, faintly amused at his derision, said, "Can we move on with the planning? For the creature outside the wall, we'll just have to...you know...deal with it."

"A lovely conjecture. 'Deal with it'. Indeed. Why hadn't I thought of that?"

Ignoring his cynicism, Hermione continued, "For the wall - and I hate to say this - but we'll need broomsticks."

"I don't," Severus said casually. "I can fly."

"You can...what?"

"Fly."

"With a broom, correct?"

"Without a broom, for Merlin's sake."

"Oh..."

"You were saying?" Severus prompted impatiently.

"And, um, the labyrinth is...tricky. We'll just have to...deal with that as well."

"Again, I find myself awed at your intellect."

Hermione glared at him. "Do you want to figure this out or mock me?"

"Considering we are both going to die because of this structure we designed when we were sixteen, I'd say I vastly prefer the latter."

Sighing and huffing, Hermione was shaking her head. "Your impossible."

"What a coincidence - so is this task."

"Why don't you tell me more about how it went when the Dark Lord brought you and Rabastan to test the barriers of it?"

"We were forced to, very promptly, leave. But not before I saw Rabastan scream like a Second Year Hufflepuff at the ghost of his mother." Snape grinned with manic glee.

It was times like these that Hermione wondered if, maybe, Snape was the ultimate Slytherin. She used to think Draco was - but it finds out that she was definitely wrong.

"Where is the structure exactly anyway?"

"In a desert in Egypt."

Hermione dropped her head onto the table and groaned. "I thought it would at least stay in Europe!"

"You thought incorrectly."

Hermione had been doing that a lot lately.

...

Hermione was probably going to die the next day. It wasn't a matter of will. It was just a fact.

Normally Hermione would leave a quick note as a goodbye, just in case, but she found that she couldn't even do that. But all day she was a nervous wreck because she didn't know how to let her brother know that she probably wouldn't be home tomorrow.

Sirius would freak out if she told him what she was doing. He'd very possibly tie her up and lock her in her room. He'd threatened to do it in the past if he were ever to find out about one of her 'mental plans'.

Hermione walked out to the living room to find Sirius putting on his leather jacket and pushing his hair back with a leather tie .

"Sirius, I need to talk to you..." she said, trying to sound casual.

"Sorry, gotta get to lunch with the boys. Are you coming with?"

Hermione gave her brother a blunt look. "You know the answer to that."

Sirius shrugged. "Fine. It's simple then. You don't come to lunch, I won't listen to what you have to say."

"Sirius Black, you do _not_ give me ultimatums," Hermione snapped. "This is _important_!"

"I do not care if you have to tell me that you're carrying Filius Flitwick's child - I'm not talking to you unless it's at the Leaky with the boys," he said firmly, striding towards the door.

"SIRIUS, YOU COME BACK HERE THIS -"

"See you at the Leaky!" he said with a broad smile before flicking his wand and disapparating, probably to his bike.

Hermione let out a loud shout of anger. Why was he like this?! Why did he make everything so difficult?!

"Fine!" she said aloud. "If you don't want to hear what I have to say - you'll just have to live without knowing how I died!" She marched to the Floo.

She had to pay Severus a visit. They were going to be traveling to Egypt a day early.

...~oOo~...

James and Remus watched as Sirius looked back and forth from his drink to the front door of the Leaky Cauldron. They each contemplated whether or not they wanted to ask until the academic curiosity of Remus took precedent.

"Who are you looking for?" Remus asked.

"Hermione," Sirius sighed, looking back to his drink.

"Why?" James asked. "She never comes to Sunday lunch with us."

"Well, she wanted to talk to me about something important," Sirius explained, "so I told her that if she wanted me to listen, she would have to come to lunch."

Both James and Remus's jaws dropped.

"You gave her an ultimatum?! About something important?!" James demanded.

Remus asked, "Are you suicidal?"

Sirius said, "I just wanted her to come out with us again -"

"There's a reason why she stays away, Sirius," Remus said, the agitation evident in his tone. "Why do you insist on making things harder for her? And are you forgetting that she is the mistress to a psychopathic dictator and that when she says something is 'important' that it usually means life or death?"

Sirius let that sink in. "Oh..."

"Exactly!" James said. "You should have just listened to her, mate!"

"Well, guess what? I'm sick of sitting by and watching my sister seclude herself," Sirius snapped. "I'm tired of seeing her whither away! She barely eats, she barely talks, and she never wants to leave the house unless it's for the Order, Auror training, or for the Dark Lord. Her routine isn't healthy and she always comes home looking a mess and I hate it! So excuse me for trying to get my sister to join the real world for one bloody hour!" SIrius propped her elbows up on the table and cradled his face in his hands. "I'm tired of hearing her cry at night. She needs us. She needs happiness. I'd do anything to see that smile."

Remus's heart gave a sharp stab. He knew how Sirius felt. Hermione's smile was... radiant. It was a smile that could change the world.

Remus hated not seeing Hermione, but after James and Lily's wedding and their departure, he wanted to keep his promise to her. They were over. Any feelings that they had harbored for one another would have to fade and they were giving each other the time to do that.

"You look just as miserable," Sirius said to Remus. "Always looks forlorn and whatnot. It's like someone tore a piece of you out."

James nodded. "Ever since my wedding, you haven't been the same. Only been a week and you seem depressed all the time."

Remus sat back and turned the tumbler in circles, staring at the amber colored liquid sloshing inside. "I'll be fine. So will Hermione. We're... healing. And healing can be painful."

"What happened exactly?" James inquired.

"I let her know that I was letting her go," Remus said.

Sirius and James both groaned.

"C'mon, mate! Are you mental?" James asked. "We've been through this before! No matter how much you and Whiskers try, you can't stay away from each other!"

"It's like they don't even see the pattern," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"First you guys stay friends, then you break apart and act bloody miserable, and something cosmic pulls you back together," James details. "It happens every time!"

"This time it's real," Remus promised. "She's still seeing Fabian, isn't she?"

Sirius shrugged. "They've been writing each other letters since the wedding, but she hasn't gone out."

"Well, they're talking," Remus said. "And they seem to be getting along. Before you know it, she'll be going out to dinner, staying the night, talking about families."

Sirius snorted. "Coming from someone who's tried all of that with Hermione - it won't work. She doesn't talk about starting a family."

Remus nodded. "I know, but it's still nice to think..." His voice trailed off.

Sirius nudged Remus with his shoulder. "I know what you mean. In Hogwarts, I used to keep a list of baby names for our future children."

James asked, "Am I the only one whose never been in love with Hermione?"

"Yes, but you used to have erotic fantasies about her," Sirius pointed out. "Anyway, you've always been in love with Lily. Fancying anyone else wasn't an option for you."

"I fancied other people!"

"What a liar," Remus remarked.

"Am not!" James half-whinged.

"You've been taken with Evans for ever..." Sirius paused. "My apologies, she's a Potter now, isn't she?"

James's smile was absolutely gleaming with pride. "Yes. Yes, she is!"

"Lily Potter..." Sirius mused. "Rolls of the tongue, doesn't it? Better than Evans, I think."

Remus nodded. "I agree."

"Lily _Black_ would have been best, thou- OUCH! What was that for?!"

...~oOo~...

The roar of the monster guarding the fort shook the sides of the labyrinth as Hermione tumbled out of the sky with Severus and hit the dirt ground. Though the sun was beating down in the desert, the walls of the maze were so high up and so dense that they swallowed up the sunlight and reflected darkness back at each other.

In the space of the maze that Hermione fell into, she only had one way to go - and that was forward. She was already caught in a dead end and she hadn't even started moving yet.

Picking herself up off the ground, she began saying, "Severus, where do you think..."

And then she realized that Severus wasn't with her.

"Severus?" she called out.

There was no answer, just another roar from the beast.

Hermione began to experimentally walk the maze, calling out for Severus as she went with growing panic. She couldn't do this without him - he was the only one who'd been in the structure before. He knew it's defenses and it's ways. She needed him.

"Severus!"

Nothing.

Hermione whipped her wand, murmuring an incantation, and unleashing a Patronus. "Take me to Severus," she told the silvery animal. With an excited wag of its tail, it began running, a shiny white mist in its wake. Hermione actually found it difficult to follow after the speed of her animal.

When she just had her Patronus in sight again, she found it playing and rolling around a very stoic silver doe.

"A Siberian Husky," a deep voice mused. "How interesting..."

Hermione saw Severus walking up behind his doe.

Once the Patronuses' owners met face to face their spirit guardians dissolved into the air.

"One might speculate that the dog's wolf origins reflected your feelings for a certain lycanthrope," Severus said.

"You're one to talk," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. "Yours is a doe for goodness sake. I thought you were over Lily."

"I am. But my Patronus has been a doe for so long... Well. What is that phrase? Old habits die hard?"

"We can discuss our misplaced affections later," Hermione said. "Tell me why we were separated."

"If more than one person enters the labyrinth together, a charm automatically puts them on opposite sides of the structure."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Severus shrugged. "It was a simple fix for people with practice in the Patronus charm."

Sighing, Hermione decided there was some things that wouldn't change about Severus.

"So, enlighten me," she said. "What else does this maze do?"

Severus paused. "Do you honestly want to know? I mean... _I_ designed it the curses. Isn't that knowledge enough?"

Unfortunately, it was. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

"It is very likely, yes."

"Brilliant."

...

James, Sirius, and Remus were tearing apart the apartment.

"Hermione!" Sirius was shouting. "Where are you?!"

"I think it's safe to say this isn't a prank, mates," James said, sounding very worried. "She's really left."

"Hermione doesn't leave the house without leaving me a note," Sirius said, shaking his head fervently. "She just doesn't."

Pacing, Remus dragged a hand down his face. "What if she's been taken?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Hermione is stronger than that," Sirius said quickly. "She wouldn't let anyone take her. It's impossible."

James said, "There are people out there more powerful that Hermione."

"We have to call the Order," Remus said urgently. "We have to have people looking for her. Where did you say Dumbledore was, James?"

"Russia," James answered. "But I have no clue where - and that's one fucking huge country." He turned his head to Sirius and pointed boldly at him. "I blame you for this."

"So do I," Remus growled quietly.

"Why is this my fault?!" Sirius commanded. "Last I checked, Hermione did what she wants when she wants to do it! I have no control over her! It's not like I could have dragged her by her hair to lunch with us!"

"Yes, you could have!" Remus snapped.

"How was I supposed to know something would go wrong?" Sirius demanded. "I'm not a bloody Seer!"

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP," James exploded. "We're all just freaking out because our best friend has gone missing! We all need to calm down, call everyone in the Order, and get start thinking instead of fighting! We're the fucking Marauders for Christ sake! We don't act like this!"

"Lately we've been acting like this a lot," Remus pointed out.

"We're all just stressed because of the war," James said firmly. "But we need to pull ourselves together. Sirius, you start Floo'ing everyone, Remus call everyone who's got a Muggle telephone, and I'll go see Aberforth and see if he knows where his brother is."

And they all immediately did just that.

Meanwhile Hermione was being strangled by a wall.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Will the boys find out where Hermione is? 3. What kind of awful things should the labyrinth make happen? 4. Do you think both Hermione and Severus will make it out of the maze alive? 5. What do you want to see happen next?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	42. Battling the Labyrinth

Chapter Forty-Two: Battling the Labrinth

"Dammit...Severus," Hermione gasped, her hands pulling at the vines twined tightly around her throat.

Severus was murmuring for her to relax as he carefully used his wand up close to sever the green tentacles that were emerging from the wall and curling around his comrade's body. "The more you struggle, the more vines come out," he told her hissingly as he was working on the ones around her neck, trying very hard not to aim wrongly and end up slitting her skin instead.

"I...am going to...kill you," she wheezed, her eyes bulging. Finally one of the leafy arms released from a well placed Sectumsempra and Hermione took a large breath of air while Severus efficiently killed the rest of the vines.

Once completely released, Hermione dropped the the ground from where she'd been suspended and took long, grateful breaths.

"If we make it out of here alive," Hermione said, recovering, "I am going to kill you."

"It is quite impressive though, isn't it?" Severus mused, examining the maze around them in the way that Hermione imagined Dr. Frankenstein looked at his monster. A slightly crazed admiration and satisfaction.

"No, Severus," Hermione said, standing up off the ground. "This death trap is not impressive. Not when it just tried to kill me."

"You better get used to that," Severus informed her. "Because I promise you that won't be the last time that it tries to do you mortal harm."

"Whoever said that you were a pessimist obviously hasn't seen you in this sunny of a disposition," Hermione growled, picking her wand off the dirt floor and holding it readily. "Let's just keep going. Can I have a little bit more warning next time, instead of that quick, 'Hermione, look behind you, the wall is attacking'?"

"And you said I was sunny," Severus grumbled as they walked, looking left and right for the next threat. "I understand your agitation at facing the end of your life in a labyrinth, but you shouldn't continue making it sound like it's my fault."

"It is your fault!"

"And yours!" he growled. "You're the one who came up with the brilliant notion of a maze."

Hermione did not respond to that, but she could see the smug look flash over Severus's black eyes that meant he was adding another tally to his column in the ongoing rivalry between them. Yes, they were good friends - as much as one could become a friend to Severus Snape - but they were a pair of the most intelligent minds of the century. There was bound to be an unspoken competition.

They made a turn and the walls around them began to ripple, the leaves shaking and the air around them growing darker. Hermione took hold of Severus's sleeve as a wind began to blow through the narrow passage.

Then a scream was carried through on the wind like a howl.

There was someone else in the maze.

Hermione began to ran towards the screams, Severus close behind her trying to get her attention - but she wasn't listening. She just kept running towards the shrieks and whimpers.

When the voice sobbed a name, she faintly heard Severus breathe, "Lily..."

And then they were running in tandem.

The sudden storm brewing around them was making it hard for them to run towards the voices - the winds were pushing them in the opposite direction and shoving them into grabbing, strangling walls. But their legs kept pumping until they saw the outline of a redheaded woman curled up on the ground yards away, seeming to be tied up.

Hermione made to run to her, but Severus's long arm came in front of her. She was about to ask why when she saw the two boys seeming to be birthed from the shadows and stepping into the dimness to reveal their faces.

One was a tall, broad-shouldered redhead and the other was a messy-haired brunette with glasses and a scar.

"Who are they?" Severus hissed as the boys slowly advanced, their figures becoming clearer and more distinct.

Her mouth opened to answer, but all they came out was a small choking sound.

Then Ron threw the first curse.

Severus had to block it for Hermione because she was still too stunned to move at the sight of her two best friends.

The duels began.

Ron and Hermione battled in a rapid fury and she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. While Ron had always been an accomplished strategist, she knew he was never so precise or cut-throat with such curses. But there he was, his blue eyes glittering like katanas, snapping out curses that Hermione had never seen before.

She barely could look over to see how Severus was managing Harry.

"Ronald, it's me!" Hermione cried desperately as she found herself being overpowered by him.

Ron said nothing, his face expressionless as he continued to back her further. She had expected to just step further and further back until she was back in the hall she came from, but a barrier had appeared and suddenly she was in a corner made by the new dead-end.

Flashes of light were exchanged and one particularly nasty stinging hex hit her hip, but it was stronger than the usual sting. It burnt. She could hear her flesh sizzling as her shirt melted into the raw, gushing wound. Hermione let out a painful hiss and found that the half-second of distraction that the agony created was enough for Ron to have his wand braced under her chin.

And the moment of silence that Ron offered was enough for Hermione to take her own wand to his stomach and utter painfully, "Avada Kedavra."

Ron bursted into a slash of ashes that dissolved into the shadows.

Hermione looked over to see that Severus was more than holding his own against Harry until Hermione pointed her wand at the scar-headed boy and emitted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The same puff of ash and disappearance followed.

When they both looked over to where the bound Lily had been, she was gone.

They were both breathing heavily from the effort.

"This maze is...evil," Hermione said.

"It's designed to override your better judgment," Severus explained. "Even if, logically, we knew that those people weren't really here, the maze made us believe they were. It clouded our common sense."

Hermione shot Severus a glare, knowing that going on about how much of this was his fault would be in vain. "Well...at least your phantom duelists and us were well-matched."

"That's we are exceptionally practiced duelists," Severus said. "If it had been any other two wizards, I am unsure that the outcome would have been as favorable."

"Or perhaps your creations aren't as powerful as you thought."

"That would be an incorrect assumption," Severus said stiffly. "Unless it was you, the Dark Lord, or I then the real opponents would be dead. The phantom duelists were designed that way."

"You have a lot of confidence that no one could emerge from this hell alive."

Severus said nothing, but gave her a look. He'd already told her plenty of times that there was no way to survive the maze, there was no point in repeating his opinion on the matter.

"Where to next?" Hermione inquired. "A lava pit you haven't warned me about? Or better, a minotaur?"

"Nothing as cliche, I promise you. Please, grant me some credit."

"I grant you nothing. This place is a graveyard, not a masterpiece."

"Oh, but it is. I have never come across anything as lethal as the prison encasing us right now."

Hermione huffed. "Let's just find the hatch, okay?"

"That's going to be difficult."

"More difficult than this entire affair has already been?"

Severus nodded, then paused. "If you don't mind my asking, who were those two boys we dueled? They had to be from your memory, correct?"

Then there was a loud roar interruption their conversation and another creature crawled out of the ink black veils surrounding them - but this was a hulking half-animal with horns.

Hermione let out a sigh and she held out her wand towards the monster. "I thought you said there was no minotaur."

Severus shrugged, brandishing his wand at their next challenge and confessed, "I lied."

...~oOo~...

Lily Potter stroked her husband's hand comfortingly as the Order members all arrived at Grimauld Place. James had been a nervous wreck for hours, his hand raking through his hair every other minute.

Sirius wasn't in much better shape, but Remus was the worst. He looked like he'd just been given a terminal diagnosis, staring at the grains of the table in an almost entranced, obsessive way, all the while his right hand was tapping out morse code patterns almost absently. His left hand was propped up and cradling his forehead in his distress.

Sirius was pacing around the table neurotically.

Lily herself felt like she could cry her eyes out.

Most of the Order members were in attendance, save Dumbledore, Hermione, and one other Order member. Aberforth was there, but he admitted that he had no clue as to the whereabouts of his brother. So they were operating independently for the time being.

James was the one to take center stage once everyone was there. Lily could almost smile. He'd always been such a natural leader, something she admired in him.

James laid out the situation. Hermione was missing under mysterious circumstances.

"...so we need as much information as possible," James concluded. "Anyone have any theories?"

"Sounds like kidnapping to me," Arthur Weasley murmured sadly.

"Like bloody hell it was kidnapping," Alastor Moody snapped out, looking like he could smack the ginger for such nonsense. "I trained the girl myself! Attempting anything as foolish as kidnapping her would be suicide."

"That's what I said," Sirius grumbled.

"Have any of you considered that maybe she just went on holiday?" Marlene McKinnon inquired, earning her three wrathful glares from the present Marauders.

There was a pause in the room.

"Does anyone care to detail to Miss McKinnon why her hypothesis is rubbish?" Remus asked sourly, getting an indignant sniff from the blonde girl.

"I think she's realized her folly by now," James said. "Any OTHER ideas?"

Alice said, "This isn't the first time she's disappeared. Perhaps she's gone on business?"

"She didn't leave a note, though," Sirius stressed. "She always leaves a note. It's what we do."

"Did she forget, perhaps? Or maybe she was in a hurry?" Alice asked.

Sirius shook his head. "She always makes time to write me."

"Then maybe she just...didn't want to."

"Didn't want to, what?"

"Write a note," Alice specified. "Maybe she was upset or sad or -"

"ANGRY!" Sirius erupted, causing everyone in the room to give a start. "The spiteful bitch!"

Everyone stared at him with his sudden outburst bemusedly.

"I hope you aren't talking about me," Alice said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all," Sirius said, still pensive as he put everything in his head together. "Whiskers - I mean, Hermione. She's a spiteful bitch! She was angry at me! Do you think that she neglected to leave me a note was because she was hacked off at me?"

Remus was shaking his head firmly. "Hermione would never do something so petty."

"She knows better, too," James pointed out. "She'd know he'd summon the cavalry if we suspected anything suspicious."

"Need I remind you how Hermione is when she's angry?" Sirius asked. "She doesn't think. The one things she does nonstop all day is the one thing that halts when she's furious - her logic."

"So if your theory is correct," Remus said, "we have you to blame for her disappearance."

Sirius hesitated. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"Oi, everyone," Gideon Prewett said. "Where the hell is Snape?"

At that revelation, everyone exchanged pensive looks.

...~oOo~...

"Despite popular belief," Snape said in a monotone voice, "I strongly dislike bats."

They'd just survived the hall of vampire bats. Their skin was covered in tiny, bleeding bites, and their clothes were in tatters. It had been a big mess because first the maze trapped them in with the bats and then the flying rodents were resistant to nearly every curse they through at them. They had been phantom bats, just like the Ron and Harry they fought.

So Hermione had casted a fire storm which had turned all the bats to ash, but set the maze on fire. Seeing as they were trapped in a small area, this ended up being a very bad idea and Hermione prepared herself to die.

Until Severus blew up the one wall and they had to literally run through the flames to get out. Then they worked to put out the fire, but it was really no use. They only reduced it by so much, but Severus said that the flames wouldn't spread - the maze was too protected for that.

So there were, bloody, tattered, and singed. Hermione's hair was a bat's nest and Severus's wasn't in much better shape.

"When will this end?" she asked.

"When we find the hatch. We should be close - we're deep enough in the maze. Now we just have to pay attention. The hatch had a large snake pit around it."

Hermione shuddered. "I hate snakes."

"I haven't come across a single Gryffindor that does. Would you have preferred a lion's den?"

"Maybe."

"Good, because there's one of those too somewhere in here."

"SEVERUS!"

"Stop shouting," he spat. "You'll wake something."

"YOU PUT A BLOODY LION IN A -"

"Shush!" he growled, wrapping his hand firmly around her mouth. He paused. "Do you hear that?"

At first, Hermione didn't hear anything. But after a moment, there it was. The soft sounds of snake-like hissing. A lot of hissing.

Severus nodded, taking his hand away from her mouth slowly. "We're close."

...

They'd practically fallen through the hatch. It was warded to be practically invisible unless you were looking for it and in order to get to it, you had to make your way across a massive pit of snakes to the little island in the middle of the serpent sea.

The snakes were immune to curses, and Severus surprised them both by summoning a rather large machete and using that to get though.

That hadn't stopped him from getting bit, though.

They crashed to the ground from the ten foot drop through the hatch and each of them groaned. Especially Snape whose leg was enflamed and oozing from the snake bit already.

Hermione moved to help him, but he forcefully waved her off and dug into his cloak before stuffing something in his mouth and then drinking a potion. He was a prepared man. The leg still looked infected and puss-filled, but his face wasn't so white and it didn't seem to get any worse.

Standing up, he had a limp. Hermione didn't dare offer assistance because she knew the result would be his taking her head off. Severus was too proud.

The tunnel they then stood in was very dark and whispers came from everywhere.

"What's going to happen now?" Hermione asked, lighting her wand to better see one another in the darkness.

"The tunnel has a boggart-like effect," he explained. "Your worst fears come to life."

"You're an evil genius, Severus."

He gave a grim smile, which really just looked like he was curling his lip. "Yes, I am." He looked her in the eyes. "Just resist any awful thing you see. This isn't like when we dueled the two boys - here you have a choice whether or not you want to believe it. But I'm telling you now, no matter what the tunnel says or does it is not real."

Hermione nodded numbly and they carried on walking down the tunnel.

It wasn't long before the whispers got louder. They were voices Hermione recognized. They were her mother. Not Walburga, but Joan Granger. She was singing a Muggle lullaby.

_Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops... When the wind blows, the cradle will rock... When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and down will come baby... cradle and all._

Hermione gave a shiver. Creepy. There was Ron's voice as well, saying, _Hermione, we miss you... we need you... I loved you, Hermione, come back. _

Hermione again shook off the voice. Then there was Remus's in the mix.

_I hate you, Hermione... You never loved me, did you?_

It was almost instinct when she responded, "Yes, I did! I do!"

_You used me and hurt me like it was nothing. I hate you. You're the reason I'm alone on my full moons._

"I'm sorry!"

_You're not sorry. You're nothing but a manipulative bitch who didn't even have the mercy to let me go a long time ago._

"Remus, I love you!"

_I hate you, Hermione..._

"NO, Remus!"

"Hermione, Hermione!" Severus was hissing and over. "The voices aren't real!"

Teary-eyed, Hermione nodded. "I know, but...I just wanted to talk to him, you know?"

Slowly, Severus nodded. "I understand."

The whispers continued, but Hermione did her best to ignore them.

The worst one was Remus, calling out to her and telling her what a terrible person she was. Of course, she knew it wasn't real and that the breathing Remus wouldn't ever say those things, but it made her wonder... what if he really thought that she was awful? Everything he said were things that Hermione already thought about herself, but what about him?

The voices would have driven anyone mad, and Hermione was no exception. They started to get to her, she began humming along with the lullabies her mother was singing, and Severus looked a bit off-kilter as well, his eyes darting everywhere and his mouth pursed tight.

Then, one loud voice filled the humid, sticky air around them.

_Your companion is not who you think they are... This is a trap!_

Quick as lightning, both Hermione and Severus has their wands drawn on one another.

They looked at one another, unsure of what the other was about to do.

"Severus..." Hermione said slowly.

"Yes, Hermione?" he answered with just as much caution.

"Is this... Did you lure me here?"

"No, did you?"

"No."

_They lie! _the voice shouted, the dirt walls around them giving a little tremble.

"Tell me the truth," Hermione said.

"_You're_ the one who came to me saying we had to come here," he said lowly. "I should be suspicious of _you_."

"I'm not the one who designed this monster!"

"Hermione, I told you, the voices aren't real -"

"But what if that was a lie?" Hermione inquired. "What if you were only telling me the voices would lie because you foresaw them telling me the truth."

"You're being paranoid. It's the tunnel's doing, Hermione."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, I don't believe you," Severus snapped back. "You say that finding these Horcruxes is for the greater good - but I don't believe you! You could be an actual Death Eater and Dumbledore would never know."

"I could say the same for you!"

_Kill them! _the voice commanded.

"No!" Severus bellowed. "We won't duel!"

"Why not?" Hermione taunted. "Too afraid that I'd win?"

"The tunnel is making you act strange, Hermione," Severus told her. "I won't duel you because we aren't in the right minds."

"On the contrary," Hermione said darkly. "This is the first time I've been in the right mind in a very long time. _Incendio!_"

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. What do you think will happen next? 3. Who is your favorite character?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	43. Reminders

A/N. Hey, everyone! Good news - today I am feeling TONS better. I dunno why, it might be the medicine I've been taking, but today I'm just feeling good. All the levels of things in my blood are relatively even now, which is great.

New Playlist, guys! What I listen to when I write...

Cough Syrup by Young the Giant

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons

White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons

Pour Me Out by He Is We (I like to think of this as one of Hermione's songs for Remus)

Mr. Brightside by The Killers (In my opinion, one of the most artfully and amazingly composed songs in the history of the world - but that's just my opinion)

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Three: Reminders

The spell burst from Hermione's wand in a flash of orange and red, smacking straight into the wall behind Severus.

Severus's eyes were huge. He wasn't sure if she'd meant to miss him or if it'd been an accident that she blew up the wall instead of him.

"The tunnel goes in a circle," Hermione said. "Look." She pointed to the dirt in the ground where there were two body prints and the start of their foot steps from more than a half hour before. "We're back at the beginning. My guess is that the Horcrux is kept in the middle of the circle - which means we need to take down this wall."

The wall she'd cast the Incendio one was being lapped up by red and yellow, the dirt darkening and burning.

"You couldn't have told me that before terrifying me?" Severus demanded, almost sounding incredulous. Severus was never incredulous.

Hermione shrugged. "I figured it would be proper revenge for creating this prison."

"You could have killed me!"

"So could have the strangling wall! Or the phantoms! Or snakes! And the lion!"

Severus seethed in silence after that, only speaking to cast one last "Reducto!" to tale down the burning wall.

The section of wall collapsed to reveal that it was, indeed, hollow. Hermione hastily put out the flames before they walked through their new pathway.

The hollow space was large and round, the diameter of the circular tunnel that surrounded it. Sitting in the center was a box and when Hermione slowly stepped over and opened it up, inside was the Diadem. She bent down and picked it up, looking at it closely to confirm its authenticity.

"This feels...too easy," Hermione murmured as she strolled back to Severus.

One of his dark eyebrows shot up. "Was the dozens of near-death encounters we just faced not enough? Would you like some quick sand for good measure, or perhaps we could go hunt down that lion?"

"I guess you're right," Hermione said with a shrug. "The locket was easier, I suppose..."

"That's because I hadn't designed the hiding place for the locket," Severus said with a touch of pride. "If I had, I promise that it wouldn't have been so simple."

"Obviously," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as they walked back into the tunnel. Then she stopped. "Wait. What do we do now?"

"This is the easy part," Severus said. "We make our way back up through the hatch and I can fly us over the tops of the maze and get us out. Then we just hijack a local's Floo network and we are on our way back home."

"But...what about the monster outside of the maze?"

"We'll probably have to battle it again."

"I thought you said this was the easy part."

"That is because... well... it _is_ the easy part."

...~oOo~...

When Hermione made it back to Grimauld Place, it was obscenely early in the morning. The sky was ebony and the stars were clear. Hermione thought about going to check on Sirius and give him a kiss on the forehead goodnight, but she decided against it.

She was covered in bite and scratch marks, her ribs were bruised, she was coated in a thin dusting of dirt, she smelt like burning flesh, and everything in her body hurt. All Hermione wanted in that moment was a bath.

So that's exactly what she was going to do. She drew a bath and stripped off her poison and blood covered clothing, tossing them into the garbage, and Slipped into the heavenly hot water. It immediately made her feel ten times better. The grime and dust was washed away, her open wounds cleansed, and her injuries were given temporary relief in the heat.

With a deep breath and shut eyes, she dipped down into the water.

Just as Hermione was submerged, Sirius, Remus and James all came through the Floo after a night full of searching for Hermione and - as they all hated it - Severus. James had a firm belief that Severus had betrayed them and done something to Hermione, but after some persuasion they made him realize that it was far more likely Hermione did something to him.

"You all should go to bed," Sirius said exhaustedly. "Fabian and Gideon are still out looking, which is fine enough. Go home, mates. Especially you, Prongs. Lily has probably been waiting up."

James hesitated, but nodded. "You're right... How about you Remus?"

The werewolf tried rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm going to go back out after getting some coffee. Do a scan of Nocturne Alley."

"We already looked, mate," Sirius said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Go home and sleep."

Remus shook his head. "No, I need to. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

"At least take a nap," Sirius said. "Just an hour or two. There's some Dreamless Sleep lying around here somewhere."

Still shaking his head, Remus wordless began sauntering towards the kitchen.

Sirius said farewell to his best mate and James left through the Floo. Sirius called into the kitchen to Remus that he was going to go up to his room and try to get a few hours of sleep before going out to look again.

Remus waited heavily in a kitchen chair as he waited for the coffee to brew. He was fighting to keep his eyes open but every time his eyes fell shut he saw Hermione behind his eyelids. It was enough to keep him awake, but just barely.

Remus had no clue how long he sat there in a strange fog halfway between being asleep and being awake, but he hadn't noticed the coffee boiling over or the damp young girl wrapped in a towel walk in.

"Remus?" the soft voice called through his fog. "Remus, what are you doing here so late?"

Remus snapped out of it at the recognition, suddenly very wide awake and stunned as he took in the sight. Hermione's hair wet, curling hair was tied up in a bun, a towel wrapped securely around her body hiding everything, and taking the burning coffee off the burner.

"H-Hermione!" he exclaimed, wrenching up from his seat, his eyes as glowing, wide and circular as the full moon he feared so much. "You're...you're here!"

She hesitated. "Yes, Remus I am. This is my house, after all."

"But...you were missing! Everyone was looking for you!"

Hermione moaned. "Oh no! You all overreacted, didn't you? And what do you mean, 'everyone'? Don't tell me you mean that Sirius called in reinforcements!"

"The entire Order!"

"What the...! Why?! Leave it to Sirius to freak out over nothing!"

Then something smacked Remus in the face - a realization. "Nothing?" he hissed. "Nothing?! It was far from 'nothing', Hermione! You were missing - not evidence, no note! You left us all in the dark, you gave us no indication you were alright, it was hell for all of us!"

"Remus, of course I was alright -"

"HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?" he shouted. "HERMIONE, YOU GAVE ALL OF US HEART ATTACKS! WE THOUGHT YOU'D BEEN KILLED OR KIDNAPPED! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PUT ME...US THROUGH!"

"I disappear all the time, I didn't think it was a big deal!"

"Hermione Black, you are a spy in the middle of a fucking WAR!" Remus erupted. "How were we supposed to know that your position hadn't been compromised?! Or that the Dark lord finally went over the deep-end and was going to keep you tied up somewhere like an animal?"

With a heavy sigh and sad eyes, Hermione said, "I'm sorry, Remus, I wasn't thinking -"

"Of course you weren't! Do you think about how we feel at all anymore?"

Hermione's heart broke. "I do, Remus! I care about all of you so much -" She reached out to touch his elbow but he took a healthy step back.

"No, you don't get to do this." His head was shaking fervently. "You don't get to apologize, not after how scared for you I was. How scared we all were."

"Remus, please listen -"

"This is why I can't be around you, Hermione!" he snarled. "You drive me mad! You make me want to hate you! I can't think straight, I worry like hell, and you make me so angry! You make me feel weak - I can't be weak, Hermione!"

Hermione was nodding slowly while the backs of her eyes stung. "I understand, Remus. I do. I can't blame you for it either. I was selfish and cruel and wrong. I deserve to be hated."

Tipping his head back and digging at his eyes with his knuckles, Remus gave a fraction of a nod. "Yes... you do."

"I'll just... go upstairs now," Hermione said, crossing her arms and tucking her hands under them. "I'll explain my awful mistake to everyone myself. They're all probably home by now?"

"Just Fabian and Gideon are now, but they said they wouldn't be for long," he answered lowly.

Hermione felt terrible. This was all her fault. "Well, i'll make sure to apologize and maybe give everyone a sorry gift tomorrow. I'll go to bed for now." She began padding towards the door in her bare feet.

"Is it mad," Remus said quietly from behind her, his voice hoarse, "that I want nothing more than to grab you and hold you right now?"

"If it is..." Hermione said over her shoulder, not wanting to look in his eyes for fear of giving in to him, "then we're both mad."

...

James had Hermione in a steel-tight hug and it took a long while before she could shake him off, and even then she needed Lily's help. He was just overwhelmingly relieved that she was okay. Sirius was still furious and Remus was standing back in a corner and watching on with a calculating frown.

The entire Order was back at Grimauld and made subject to fervent apologies and gift-giving by Hermione. She gave all the men pocket watches with a phoenix emblem on the front and all the women phoenix pendants. They were all very curious as to where she had been, but the moment she said, "Business for Dumbledore" everyone sort of nodded their heads and let it be.

Except for Sirius, of course. The nosy bugger.

"How do we know you haven't crossed over?" Sirius inquired skeptically.

"Just ask Dumbledore," she said.

"How do we know you didn't kidnap him and the whole Russia thing is just a cover up?"

"Sirius, we live in the same house. If I wasn't keeping Dumbledore here, where would I keep him?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell us?"

"For Christ sake, Black, leave your sister alone!" Fabian said with a broad smile, swinging his arm around her waist and pulling her in to land a big kiss on her forehead. "She said she was doing business of Dumbledore, and by Merlin, if that business has her coming home covered in mini bites everywhere then I believe her!"

"This coming from her boyfriend," Gideon said, sounding amused. "He should probably be concerned about her getting nibbled by someone who isn't him."

Sirius's ears perked up the way they did when he was a dog. "Boyfriend? When did this become official? Why wasn't I told? Why hasn't there been a welcome-to-the-family dinner? _There's a protocol for these things, dammit_!"

"It's not official," Fabian said. "My brother's just putting his foot in his mouth."

"I don't see why any of us would care, anyway," Severus purred from a corner. "I thought this was an Order meeting, for God's sake, and here we are gossiping like First Years. If McGonagall was here, she's shriek like a banshee."

"Where IS McGonagall?" Lily asked.

"Probably with Albus," Aberforth said. "She didn't show up last night either."

"How strange," James mused. "All of the people who could have told us where Hermione was were absent last night. That seems to be just our luck, eh?"

"We need to have a policy," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "ALWAYS LEAVE A NOTE. I don't give a bloody fuck if you were angry with me or not. You right a Merlin-damned note even if it kills you."

And that was the last time Hermione ever neglected to leave a note.

...~oOo~...

Hermione didn't get to laugh often, but when she was with Fabian she laughed a lot. Full, hearty belly laughs that made everything just feel...better. It was amazing what some giggles and cackles could do.

The alcohol may have had something to do with it, of course.

Fabian and Hermione sat at the bar, facing one another on their stools and laughing like crazy. The sounds of their hilarity filled the room and filled Hermione.

She smiled broadly at Fabian as the laughter lilted off. "Thank you for asking me out for drinks," she said. "I needed some... relaxation."

"I could tell," he said with a shrug, grinning. "You live a hard life."

"We all do, the Order. We're soldiers."

"No, I mean because you live with Sirius. Difficult life, it must be."

Hermione snorted. "You are correct. But he means well, I suppose."

"All of your boys do," Fabian said, smiling.

"My boys?"

"Potter, Lupin, and your brother. They all sort of belong to you, don't they?"

"More like we belong to each other," Hermione said. "We've been best friends since Third Year. They worry about me and I worry about me. It's a mutual ownership."

"Does Lily belong in that equation?"

"No, James just belongs to Lily. I learned early on that _no one_ owns Lily," she answered with grudging admiration. "We didn't quite... get along during Hogwarts. It was very petty and silly of us, acting like little girls. But we're mostly over it now."

"Mostly?"

"There is the novel moment where we want to claw one another's eyes out, still, but we have trained ourselves not to act on it."

Fabian looked very amused. "I'd love to see you two go at it. Probably right entertaining."

"It was actually scary, at the time," Hermione said. "More for me than her. She always had the confidence that I lacked. It was intimidating."

"But admirable," Fabian pointed out.

"Only later did I find it admirable."

"The thing about Lily, from what I've seen, is that she takes what she wants and won't let anything get in the way," Fabian said.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. She does, indeed."

"Maybe...you could learn a thing or two from her," Fabian said, taking a swig of his drink. "You know, with Lupin."

Hermione's eyes popped open wide. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well, you're in love with him, aren't you?" Fabian said as if it were obvious.

"Well...that is...just..."

"It's a very simple question, love," Fabian teased. "Yes or no? It won't hurt my feelings - we're just friends, after all."

"Um...well...yes," Hermione said quietly, like it was a secret. "But...I don't know what you mean."

"You need to take a leap of faith, darling," Fabian said with a wink. "Take what you want before it gets away. Lily did it with Potter, why can't you do the same?"

"Even if I could -"

"Which, you can."

"- I've already lost him," Hermione said firmly, ignoring his comment. "At James's wedding, we promised to stay away from one another. He definitely doesn't want anything to do with me, and after this last stunt I pulled I can't imagine that has changed at all. He was very angry with me. By now, he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, I promise you that."

"How could you possibly know?" Hermione asked as she spun her glass pensively.

"A man's eyes never lie," Fabian responded wisely. "He looks at you the way my brother looks at Dorcas Meadows."

"Gideon fancies Dorcas?"

"Don't change the subject," Fabian said with knowing smile. Hermione frowned and he reached out to put one of his large hands on her shoulder. "Stop fighting it. It will only get worse."

"It's already about as worse as it gets."

"I hope you realize that you just jinxed yourself. Even if Lupin is angry with you, it's because he loves you. Now, go home, put on some sexy knickers, and knock on his door half-naked."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Are you mad? Why would I do that?"

"I guarantee," Fabian said with mock seriousness, "that if all he can see is lace and skin, he'll instantly forget what he was angry for. Now, go on!" He waved for her to go.

And Hermione couldn't help but think that Fabian had a very good point.

...

Hermione ran up to Grimauld Place and wrenched open the door, planning to sprint upstairs and put on the only set of lingerie she owned - courtesy of Lily for her birthday - and Apparate to Remus's before she could change her mind.

Upstairs, Hermione slipped into the lacy black knickers and lacy, see-through skirt-camisol thing that was cut like a bra on top and that ruffled around her hips.

Standing in the mirror, Hermione felt superbly silly. She thought spontaneousness would be enough, but if this was going to happen she needed adrenaline. So she started trying to psych herself up.

"C'mon, Hermione," she muttered to herself as she hopped up and down in the mirror, shaking her head and trying to get her blood pumping. "You can do this...you've wanted this for years, haven't you? Remus is what you want...Remus..." And she continued hopping.

Hermione still felt really stupid. She felt skinny, scarred, and boring. She wondered if maybe some make-up would help, but she realized that nothing would make the bat bites all over her any better. The Dark Mark popped out even more on her arm than usual because of the sparse black under-things.

"You are a confident and beautiful," she told her mirror unconvincingly. "Just like Lily. You don't take no for an answer. Just like Lily." That became her mantra. "Like Lily...think like Lily..." Hermione took another scan of herself. "How does she do it?" she asked herself incredulously. "No one can possibly feel comfortable in one of these things! Is it the red hair? Is it?! Maybe I could look for that charm to change hair color..."

Hermione pictured herself with Lily's hair.

"Dear Merlin, he would hit the ground running," she sighed, smacking her hands over her face. "I don't look good as a brunette, why would I think becoming a ginger would be an improvement? It takes a lot to look good as a redhead!"

"I think you would look ravishing no matter what color your hair was," a deep, smooth voice said from behind her.

Hermione had to have jumped a foot in the air, spinning so fast it was a blur to see her visitor.

"Oh... my lord," she said, still panting from the fright. Her heart was ricocheting against her ribs. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I only just arrived," Voldemort said with a calm smile. "And on the issue of your hair, I vastly prefer you as a brunette." He slid up behind her and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, his finger slipping under the lacy strap teasingly.

Hermione suppressed a shudder.

"Where have you been hiding this...ensemble?" he whispered, his hand ghosting over the barely-there fabric.

"I got it for my birthday," Hermione said. "It's still...fairly new."

"I like it," he said, his breath hot on her ear. "I like it a lot. Although, I'd like it a lot more if it were on the floor."

And Hermione wanted to cry.

Tonight was supposed to be the night she made love with the man of her dreams, and instead she received a blinding reminder of why she could never have him.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. What do you think will happen next? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. What are McGonagall and Dumbledore up to, you think? 4. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	44. A Break

A/N. Only one author's note. I received a review last chapter that Hermione's reaction to being yelled at by Remus was very different from her previous attitude where she fought that she was doing it all for them and they would have to deal with it - in a sense, the reviewer was correct. It was very different.

But I did that because Hermione knew she'd acted foolishly when she neglected to leave a note AND she caused a big scene, so she was immediately apologetic. Also, it was REMUS yelling at her, someone she loves more than anything, and being yelled at by someone you care so deeply for can be extremely humiliating. Hence her willingness to back off and take the consequences.

It still may be out of character, even with this explanation, but the story goes on.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Four: A Break

When Hermione woke up, Voldemort was thankfully gone. She hated waking up with him next to her because it left a black imprint on her mood for the rest of her day, more than there was already.

Sirius and Hermione had work. They were officially junior Aurors and Moody hated them for it. Sirius was the king of pushing limits and boundaries. When he wasn't flirting with every female Auror in the department, he was perfecting how to twist the law in his favor. It was diabolical and ingenious all the things he was getting away with.

Moody was definitely bringing down the hammer on Hermione to keep her brother in line. Half of her duties in the time they spent there were to regulate Sirius's mischief.

Winter was wet, as all English winters are - and as was the spring. The Order came face to face twice more with the Dark Lord. The two battles were very close together and a pregnant Lily refused to sit out. Everyone thought her insane, and no one had ever seen James so infuriated, but she always managed to weasel her way in.

Once Lily really started getting round, there was no more argument. She was allowed only to meetings, never any battles. There was a lull in May where bodies would show up but there was never confrontations with the Death Eaters. They picked up in the beginning of April, though - the Death Eater sightings.

One day, a short while after Easter, Hermione and Sirius were eating breakfast together and he said, "Have you seen Lily lately?"

With a grin, Hermione nodded. "She's definitely showing."

"She bloody gigantic!"

"Would it kill you to be a little more tasteful about her size?"

"What? I'm not lying! She's the size of a submarine! And she's still got three months left!" Sirius said. "That little kid's going to be a fucking monster. Huge."

"Really, Sirius," Hermione admonished.

He shrugged. "Just saying."

It was quiet for a little bit while Hermione sipped her coffee and crossed her legs.

"Hermione, if you were pregnant, would you want a boy of girl?" Sirius asked abruptly.

Hermione stared at him. "Uh...but...I'm not pregnant..."

"Hypothetically."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curious. I always thought if I had kids that I'd want a daughter."

Hermione smiled. "Funny. I always imagined having a little boy first," she told him lightly.

"Why?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm used to dealing with boys, aren't I? If I can handle you, I can handle anything a boy could throw at me."

"But you're a girl, so you'd understand your daughter well," Sirius pointed out.

"In case you haven't noticed," Hermione said, "I'm not your typical girl. If my daughter was the usual girl, it would surely be a disaster. Why would you want a daughter, though?"

Sirius paused then lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I dunno, really. Just wanted a little girl, is all. When I was little, before you came along, I wanted a sister and got stuck with Regulus instead. I guess I still want that little girl, though."

Hermione nodded but then asked, "Why the sudden interest in babies?"

"I want a family, 'Mione," Sirius said simply. "I see James and Lily all giddy like a couple of pixies with cocaine habits and I'm just...here. Alone."

"I know what you mean, Sirius," Hermione said. "So...why don't you try having a serious girlfriend?"

"The same reason why you won't pull your head from your arse and shag the mickey out of Remus. It's too dangerous right now."

Hermione let out a long sigh. "Alright, so what is it with you and the Remus and me comments lately. It's been nonstop."

"Because I don't want you to forget about him," Sirius told her. "I know why you can't be together now, but once this hell is over, I want him to still be in your head so you can make a move."

"Sirius, I promise you," Hermione said with a touch of sadness, "that there is no way I could ever forget him."

"Good... Because the boy needs a decent shag - and fast. He's always moping around like a bloody hungover ogre."

"You have quite the colorful array of similes this morning, Sirius. Cocaine-addicted pixies, alcoholic ogres... Is there no end to your creative and inappropriate literary devices?"

"Indeed, there is not," he confirmed, stirring his coffee. "Wait until you hear the one about the prostitute mermaids and the centaur orgy."

"Really, Sirius," Hermione sighed, "I don't want to know."

...~oOo~...

"Narcissa is a monster and I don't want to live in my own home any longer," was the first thing Lucius said to Hermione once she arrived for afternoon tea.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "A bit of sympathy for your wife might be in order. She is, after all, carrying your child." She scooped two spoonfuls of sugar into her cup and then poured in some snow white cream.

"She is carrying a demon," he corrected her. "On top of her cantankerous tendencies and disgusting eating habits, the fetus kicks hard enough for even me to feel it in the middle of the night."

"Sounds in line with the Malfoy men's persona," Hermione observed. "Cranky, frustrated, annoying. There is not a doubt the child is yours."

Lucius glared. "Perhaps a bit of sympathy may be in order for me as well?"

Hermione shook her head and lifted the tea cup to her lips. "Not at all. You don't have to do anything apart from stand around and watch the baby grow. Narcissa is the one who has to carry it and deal with all the illness and cravings." She blew softly on the steaming cocoa-colored liquid.

"I do plenty!" Lucius objected. "Just the other evening - I had to rub her feet!"

"Did you really?" Hermione said, the surprise showing on her face.

"Don't be too proud of me," he said with a regal shrug. "She threatened me at wand-point. She said that I did it either willingly or under an Imperius."

"Oh dear." Hermione looked mildly horrified. Narcissa could be brutal when she wanted to be.

"She has admirable strength," Lucius said, "but an attitude that could drive a saint to drink. I've been spending a lot of time in my study."

"You've been hiding from your pregnant wife?"

"It isn't hiding if she can easily find out where I am."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's still hiding."

"Malfoys do not hide," Lucius said pridefully. "We strategically bide our time. There is a big difference."

Hermione wanted to laugh. One of the biggest talents the Malfoys had was at hiding. Like their House animal, they were snakes who burrowed when the climate was too harsh for their tastes.

"Whatever you say, Lucius."

"You doubt me."

"I doubt your motives," Hermione corrected. "I think you're nervous about becoming a father."

"Please," Lucius scoffed. "Any idiot can raise a child."

"Let's hope that, for your sake, you're right."

Lucius's look darkened. "Was that a backhanded way of calling me an idiot?"

"Perhaps," Hermione said with a small smile. "This isn't the point, though, Lucius. Let's discuss the breach. The interviews last month went smoothly. Everyone passed. No one is delivering information to Dumbledore. Severus is unhappy about the results of the interrogations. What is our next move?"

"May I remind you," Lucius answered, "that not everyone was interrogated. Grayback and his hooligans have been off recruiting more of their own along with swaying the vampires for months."

"They don't know nearly enough information to be a breach," said Hermione.

"True, but they might know - or at least have a clue - as to who the breach is," Lucius replied. "All about the gossip, werewolves are."

Hermione considered this theatrically. "Perhaps. I'll talk to the Dark Lord about it."

"Any talk of an heir, yet?"

"Good Merlin, Lucius, you like gossip even more than the werewolves, don't you?"

"No, I'm just curious, as I expect to be the godfather when you have him."

"So presumptuous," Hermione said, shaking her head.

Lucius looked offended. "Are you saying that you _wouldn't _make me the godfather?"

Hermione said, "I'd probably consider Severus first." She was saying it purely to piss her old friend off.

"Severus? SEVERUS? He hates children!"

"So do you!"

"Touche."

...~oOo~...

The Order meeting was adjourned and as usual everyone hung around for a while afterwards. They were in the large house at Mold-on-the-Wold and floating around the large ballroom.

Hermione and the Prewett twins were having a conversation when Severus came up behind her and politely asked for a word. The Prewett twins stepped aside like gentlemen and Severus stood in front of her.

"Why," Severus said immediately, "is Dumbledore asking that I give your werewolf a lesson in Occlumency?"

Hermione was too shocked by the subject to even object to Severus referring to Remus as "her werewolf". "What?"

"Albus came to me giving me orders to teach Lupin how to use Occlumency. When I asked why you couldn't do it, he simply gave me that stupid smile of his and said that it had to be me," Severus detailed. "He also told me not to tell you, but it was too suspicious. So here I am."

On one hand, hermione wanted to advise Severus to follow Dumbledore's orders, but on the other she was too grateful to do so.

"Thank you, Severus," Hermione said, deep in thought. "I appreciate it."

"So you have no idea?"

"Haven't the foggiest," she confirmed. "But I'll talk to Sirius - Remus might have told him something."

"Why not speak to Lupin?"

"We're still...sort of...not talking."

"While I do not pretend to like Lupin," Severus said blandly, "has it occurred to you that you're acting like children?"

Now, Hermione was a rational person and always tried to do what was best for the people around her, but when one started getting relationship advice from Severus Snape, one wondered exactly how pathetic they were.

Just shaking her head, Hermione didn't answer Severus's notion. He was probably right. Avoiding problems was something children did, not twenty-year-olds.

Confrontation, though, in the past ended in only more anger, angst, and torrid kissing followed by heavy disappointment. Hermione felt like she was riding this nightmarish carousel around and around, just passing the same phases and going through the same motions without ever meeting a satisfying end.

"Only a thought," Severus said with exaggerated casualty before strolling away.

Time to face him, Hermione, she told herself.

Hermione decided to use the same tactic as the night she'd planned to sleep with him. No thinking, just action. Confidence, like Lily. She began bouncing on the balls of her feet and shaking out her hands before marching through the people across the room to snatch Remus abruptly by the sleeve.

"Wha -?"

But Remus was being dragged away from James and Lily and their conversation towards one of the doors leading out of the ball room. The door opened into a narrow hall with stairs at one end that led up to where servants' quarters would be.

It was dark, especially when she threw the door behind them shut. The only light came through the crack under the door and the small window that filtered in whatever light the half-moon offered.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Remus demanded, his voice a blend of being flustered and agitated.

"Why are you supposed to be learning Occlumency?" she asked, ignoring his question completely.

It was quiet for a moment. "How do you know about that?" he inquired.

"Dumbledore," Hermione lied.

"Couldn't have been," Remus refuted, crossing his arms. "He gave me express instructions not to tell you that I'm learning Occlumency. Must have been Snape, then."

"It wasn't," Hermione lied again, mimicking him and crossing her arms. "Might I remind you that I am very talented Legilimens? I could have pulled it from his mind."

"As if Snape would let you into his head."

"THIS IS NOT THE POINT," Hermione half-shouted. "Why are you learning how to block your thoughts from invasion?!"

"I already told you - I can't tell you," Remus growled. "Dumbledore said -"

"Dumbledore says a lot of things," Hermione cut in. "But it does not mean that every word falling from his lips is gospel! He is as flawed as you and I, Remus, he is no god. Which means you have the will to decide to oppose him just this once. I promise you, Remus, it is very important that you tell me why you are learning to ward your mind."

Remus was deadpan. "The same way it was very important that you stopped being a spy the day you dropped into the Potters' living room with Regulus, only half-alive?"

Hermione's blood turned to ice water in her veins. "That was different -"

"You're follow Dumbledore blindly, but I'm not?"

"I'm not following him blindly! I knew the risks and we made a deal so that we both would cooperate. But I need to know what task Dumbledore has given you that requires you take lessons from Severus!"

But Hermione already knew the answer. Dumbledore had been out of the country, constantly recruiting vampires and werewolves and giants, as well as trying to convince some of the already_Dark ones to trade sides in the war.

The problem was with Hermione and Severus's positions in the Death Eaters was that they had no contact with Grayback or his pack, or any of the giant colonies. They were dealt with by Voldemort directly. They wolves, vampires, and giants were all just pawns - but you couldn't have a chess set without your front line. Which was why contact with these creatures was pivotal.

"Oh my God," Hermione breathed as everything suddenly made sense. "He's...sending you in."

Remus shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. He was expressionless and cold. "Here I am, ready-made for the job. It makes plenty sense."

"No!" Hermione said sharply, angrily. "You can't be a spy! I will not have it!"

"It's not exactly up to you, Hermione, now is it?" Remus snapped back.

"Actually, it _is_!" Hermione said with spite. "Aren't you curious as to why Dumbledore asked you to keep it a secret from me?"

"I figured it was because you can be a controlling, over-reactive girl sometimes," he hissed back.

Hermione shook her head, scowling. "It's because by making you a spy," Hermione said slowly, "he is effectively_ breaking _our deal."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. With this new information, what exactly do you think was the deal between Hermione and Albus? 2. Would you like to see Sirius at work in the Auror Department? 3. Will Remus become a spy, or will Hermione make sure that doesn't happen? 4. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	45. Checkmate

A/N. It took a bit for me to get back to this for two reasons. 1, my friend has been in town. And 2, I have become addicted to a Remus/Sirius fic called Casting Moonshadows which was recommended to me by Juliashka Shu (so any more delays in updates, you can blame on her, hehe! Just kidding, i am very happy so recommended it to me!)

So...I've become a Casting Moonshadows addict. While I sometimes I find the language a bit strange, I've become very attached. The author, Moonsign, is very creative and humorous.

After I finish this fic, I'm going to be taking control of Teddy and Captive again, and probably adding either a Dramione or Remus/Sirius fic. It's up to you which I write next - vote in the reviews!

THIS CHAPTER'S SONG IS DEFINITELY HOWL BY FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Five: Checkmate

As Hermione marched down the halls of Hogwarts, a literal storm began forming above her, coal-colored clouds gathering on the ceiling and giving warning rumbles. Her hair was dancing with blue sparks like lightning and the few students she passed immediately backed against the wall to let her pass and stay out from under the ominous clouds.

She blew into Dumbledore's office like a hurricane and the winds she was making blew the door shut behind her of its own accord.

As if expecting her - which he probably did - Dumbledore took off his spectacles to clean with the sleeve of his robe casually as she stood up. "Good evening, Hermione."

"See you've finally abandoned hiding in Russia, have you?" Hermione growled, her voice shaking. Her hands were trembling as she fought for control. "While you leave your army behind to gather the pieces?"

"Hermione, if I am not mistaken -"

"You aren't mistaken about much, are you?" she snapped, cutting through his sentence like a sword. "You are the all-knowing Albus Dumbledore, right?! You can DO NO WRONG, isn't that right?!"

"I can see you're upset, Hermione," Dumbledore said in that calm, pacifying way of his. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat and we can talk."

"I WILL NOT SIT," she shouted. "And we will not talk - but you will listen! You've broken our deal!"

"Hermione -"

"WHAT DID I SAY? SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR ONCE, YOU DEVIOUS OLD BASTARD!" Hermione practically shrieked. Fawkes hooted in the corner, sounding agitated and maybe a little afraid. She forced her voice down and took deep breaths in succession, but it sounded more like she was panting. "You...broke...our...deal," she continued through gritted teeth. "I gave you my LIFE and you couldn't even do that one, teeny little thing for me, could you? You just NEED every pawn you can get and set them up in a little row on the board between you and the Dark Lord."

Seeing that she probably wasn't going to accept a cup of tea, Dumbledore sat back at his desk and helped himself to the pot and cup set up on the platter. "I know why you are upset, Hermione, and understandably so -"

"I ASKED YOU TO KEEP HIM OUT OF THIS!" Hermione screamed, losing it once more at his soothing, indifferent, and calm attitude. "ONE PERSON, ONE! I ALL I WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO KEEP REMUS SAFE AND YOU COULDN'T MANAGE THAT? I EVEN LET YOU INDUCT HIM TO THE ORDER AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT, BUT NOW YOU'VE CROSSED A LINE!"

"Remus was very willing to offer his services -"

"DOES IT LOOK AS IF I CARE WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS BLOODY WILLING?" Hermione landed her fist into his desk to punctuate her point, making the top shake and his tea splash over the rim of his pink and blue decorated tea cup.

"You made me a promise," Hermione snarled, leaning forward on his desk to look him in the his twinkling blue eyes. "I've sacrificed everything for the you and the cause - but most of all, I've given up everything so that I could see Remus remain safe. But you, with your holier-than-thou disposition and manipulative tendencies have broken that promise." Her voice got softer as she went on, but also graver until her words were nothing but a deadly whisper.

"I can only apologize," Dumbledore said simply, lifting his cup to his lips and sipping carefully on the liquid.

Hermione's left eyes started to twitch. She let out a half-hysterical cry and a half-sob. "Apologize? Aplogize?! You think...an apology is enough? Oh, no. Definitely not. You will tell Remus that his services are no longer needed," she whispered hoarsely. "You will retract the mission. You will keep him safe or else you can no longer expect me to hold up my end of the bargain when you couldn't hold yours."

"What exactly will you do, Hermione?" Dumbledore inquired, sounding honestly curious. "Will you abandon your role as spy? That would look suspicious to Voldemort if you suddenly stopped attending Death Eater meetings. You are Marked, Hermione. Quitting will only put you in danger because he will find you, as well as the rest of the Order, and all those you hold most dear."

Hermione could no longer barricade the tears swelling in her eyes as she looked at her old headmaster with desperation, anger, and helplessness. "You've trapped me," she rasped. "I'm...trapped."

"No, my dear, you are not," Dumbledore said gently, reaching out and resting an old, ring-adorned hand on hers. "You have a choice, still."

"Continue my role, or have everyone I know killed?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Not much of a choice." Hermione pulled her hand away from his and backed away, tears rolling over her flushed cheeks as a clap of thunder filled the office from the storm she carried with her.

"You will retract Remus's task," Hermione said coolly, the quiver in her voice gone, and her shoulders pushed back with confidence. "Or, I swear, I will leap off the nearest bridge."

"What will that achieve?"

"I'm more use to you alive than dead, aren't I?" Hermione said calmly. The clouds over her grew darker and thicker still. "I am a spy, closer to the Dark Lord than anyone else. I am the only one knows where all the Horcruxes are hidden, as well as the position of the final one. Whether you like it or not, you need me."

Dumbledore did not speak, and Hermione did not understand why at first until she saw his gaze was no longer on her, but behind her.

She turned and found Remus standing in the doorway of the office, fists clenched at his sides.

"You do not own me, Hermione," Remus said coldly. "And despite whatever deal you and Dumbledore have made, I am going to follow through with my mission. You would endanger EVERYTHING the Order has worked for just because of a silly broken promise?" His voice was like rumble over their heads - low, dark, and telling of a storm approaching.

"You don't understand, Remus -"

"I UNDERSTAND JUST FINE, HERMIONE," he roared in unison with the thunder. "You are playing God once more! Why am I not surprised?"

His words hit deep while more tears dripped down her nose and chin. "Remus, EVERYTHING I've ever done has been -"

"FOR ME?" he demanded furiously. "For the Marauders?! Or for YOURSELF, Hermione!"

The knife he'd plunged into what was left of her heart after so many breaks dug deeper. Hermione thought that literally stabbing her would hurt less than this verbal cutting. "I'd never -"

"YOU'RE ALWAYS PLAYING THE HERO, HERMIONE!" he continued brutally. "Does it make you feel good, powerful? Is it fun to drag the rest of us along while you make yourself look like a goddamned saint?"

"I NEVER MEANT TO DRAG ANYONE!" Hermione snarled back as the clouds began to cry with her, fat heavy drops landing on her head and the carpet. "You think I LIKED always disappearing and hurting all of you? I DID IT ALL BECAUSE IF I HADN'T DUMBLEDORE WOULD SEND YOU IN MY PLACE - AND HE'S DONE IT ANYWAY, HASN'T HE? SO PERHAPS I WILL JUST STEP DOWN AND LET YOU TAKE THE LEAD AND SEE HOW IT FEELS! I'LL TOSS MYSELF FROM THE ASTRONOMY TOWER TO KEEP ALL OF YOU SAFE AND LEAVE YOU TO MY BIDDING! So GOODBYE, Remus, I hope you'll find my shoes as to be as FUCKING COMFORTABLE as I have!"

With that, Hermione snatched up a handful of Floo Powder and ducked into the fireplace. She'd exploded into green flames just as her storm began raining and hailing over Dumbledore's office.

...

"Hermione, you're...soaked through," Sirius said as his sister came through the Floo.

"Don't you dare let ANYONE come through that DAMNED fireplace!" she screamed as she marched through the room.

Sirius decided that it was impossible to oppose Hermione when she was in one of these states. It wasn't before long, though, that he dozed off into a restful sleep.

...~oOo~...

Hermione wasn't going to kill herself quite yet. It would be the last resort. More and more lately she'd been feeling like she never should have left her own time. She felt that if she'd just stayed where she was, with Harry and Ron, by now she and Ron would probably be married and maybe having their first kid.

But, Merlin, did she feel so wrong thinking that. It wasn't that it sickened her, but the more she tried thinking about the past - or future - it became fuzzy around the edges, like she was forgetting exactly how many freckles Ron had or what shade of green Harry's eyes were. It was like she'd never been with them in the first place - like her Golden Trio's adventures were all a fond dream.

Hermione's mind was becoming a muddled mess, that much she could tell. While trying desperately to remember her old life, she could feel the timeline altering around her. She was branded into this era. It started off an artificial placement, but was morphing into something organic. It was like Hermione belonged there, though she hadn't been born there. And she could tell the universe felt it's unnaturalness and it was having a bad effect on her.

Her, the artificial placement.

Her, the transplant that was being rejected by the body.

Bad things happened when tampering with time. The powers that be had her caught between two existences - as something both belonging as well as terribly wrong.

Something was keeping her from being totally melded into the era. And she had no idea what it was. Like a barrier, and obstacle, that as long as she overtook it then her mind would have rest.

It was just as Hermione was trying to work out the barrier - deliberating if it was a mental, emotional, or physical one - that her bedroom door busted open and barreled in was Remus. He pointed accusingly at her.

"You!" he spat out through clenched teeth and rigid jaw. "I WAS LOOKING FOR YOUR BODY BENEATH THE ASTRONOMY TOWER, GODDAMMIT!"

All the rage and frustration manifesting over the past seven years was bubbling to the surface once more. "Disappointed to find me still breathing, are you?" she snapped. "GET OUT."

"Not until you see sense!"

"ME?! ME see sense! I thought you were the clever one, Remus, but you're nothing but a fool!" Hermione shouted back. "Dumbledore is USING you!"

"You think i don't know that?!"

"Then why are you -"

"SHUT IT. SHUT IT NOW. YOU'VE BEEN ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE USED BY DUMBLEDORE FOR YEARS, NOW LET ME HAVE MY TURN!"

"I DID IT TO PROTECT YOU!"

"_AS I AM DOING IT TO PROTECT YOU_! YOU STUPID, IDIOTIC...Ugh!"

And that was when Remus's hot mouth came down on hers like a crack of lighting. At first, Hermione only gasped in shock and too stunned to react, but felt her heart screaming out for him. Her hands clutched onto his shirt, her palms tingling for heat.

Remus ripped away and started backing towards the door, shaking his head. His eyes were shining in the way that they did before a full moon, a flush high on his cheeks. "You make me crazy," he breathed, head still shaking like he couldn't believe what had just happened himself.

Seeing him pulling away tore at the remnants of Hermione's sanity. "Remus," she squeaked out before he could get to the door. He turned in time to see Hermione running at him and taking him by the front of his short to crash their mouths together again.

Like a rip tide, the wave crashed over them and yanked them into the deep with no hope of swimming to shore.

Their mouths came together again and again, their teeth biting down hard on the other's lips. Hermione knew she was probably taking advantage of him since it was only two days before his transformation - but she didn't care. She wanted him so badly everything inside of her hurt.

Remus was growling, his hands wandering hungrily over her hips and up her shirt.

Hermione hastily tugged his shirt off and began kissing his collarbones feverishly. She heard felt his chest vibrate with the half-growl half-moan. He was yanking at the fabric of her clothing.

Her hand danced over the distinctive scar around his shoulder - a large, gaping bite mark made from a large animal.

Remus dipped his head to capture her lips once more, his hands dipping low to grip her bum and grind her closer.

In a moment of rationality, they both slowed the kiss and broke apart to look into one another's eyes.

"I want you," Remus growled lowly. "So badly."

"I want you too," Hermione said, feeling the burning of tears in her eyes. She hadn't noticed that she'd been crying, but now as Remus reached out - almost tentatively - to run a thumb under her eyes, she didn't mind. Closing her eyes and leaning into his touch, Hermione could feel that they both were coming down from that fever.

"But...you're going to run again..." Remus whispered, sounding faintly hurt.

"No, I'm not," Hermione said with a new firmness. "Not tonight. Not tomorrow. I promise. But...you can't run from me, either."

Instead of answering, Remus kissed her hard on the mouth - a warm, passionate, and tender kiss that built in momentum. The heat inside Hermione swelled and she felt the barrier of the timeline rattle inside of her. The chains of the anchor keeping her with the Golden Trio were weakening with only this kiss.

Cheeks hot, Hermione whimpered under his tongue and hooked one of her legs up around his legs to keep close. She wanted to feel more of him - to feel his body against hers. It was a simple necessity.

Their clothes fell off of them like leaves from a tree in autumn, their mouths greedily taking in the other's skin. It was passionate and heart-throbbing and intimate. Remus went between nuzzling and nibbling and grabbing as Hermione closed her eyes and let him happily.

Remus pushed her back onto the bed with more tenderness than anyone had before. He lifted her legs to curl around his lips and leaned down to devour every inch of her and for the first time, Hermione felt...worshipped. He traced promises and adorations over of breasts and stomach with his teeth and tongue. Her body writhed in response as his mouth descended lower.

Remus stretched up to kiss Hermione again. It wasn't a particularly rough or heated kiss like their others - it was the softest and sweetest thing Hermione had ever tasted, making the anchor chain break and crumble into dust.

Whether Hermione belonged in the timeline or not was no longer irrelevant. Because more than anything, Hermione belonged with Remus.

As the gentle kiss came to a regretful close, Remus whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, Remus," Hermione responded as she and him became one, tangling together in every manner, and truly connecting.

And Hermione felt whole for the first time in her two lives.

...

Lying beside one another in Hermione's bed, they each were turned on their hips and looking at one another, their hands meeting between them and twiddling in silence. Their hands were the only body parts that touched. The window was open and a cool breeze drifted in, but their bodies were so warm from coming together that neither moved to close it.

"You're beautiful," he said eventually, the only words he could think in that moment.

Hermione gave a small smile, her fingers hooking around his. "So are you," she said.

It was quiet once more.

"I love you," she said. "So much."

"And I you," Remus said.

"I am so, grievously sorry...for everything."

"I know. So am I. It was stupid for us to think we could stay away."

Hermione nodded slowly. "We were bound to...break."

"Indeed, we were."

They stared some more before an uncontrollably giggled bubbled up from Hermione's throat. She tried stuffing it back down, but the giggles continued and Remus watched on in bemused amusement.

"Hermione?" he said.

But Hermione couldn't answer - the laughing had stolen all her breath. Unable to suppress his own mirth at seeing Hermione so giddy, remus began laughing as well. It reminded Hermione of their first kiss - the one he had no memory of- where they both couldn't help but laugh, which made Hermione only giggle harder.

Remus rolled towards her and leaned over her as they both continued laughing and Hermione's hands drifted up to his soft, sandy hair while she beamed and let out little giggles.

Their laughter died into happy grins and they stared at one another once more, with matching smiles.

Remus bent forward to kiss Hermione's forehead and said, "I have never been so happy, Whiskers."

"Neither have I," she agreed.

"Only one little problem, though."

Hermione almost had a heart attack right there. She should have expected this. The inevitable bomb to be dropped on her perfect moment. She could already feel the tears coming back.

"What is that?" she choked out hesitantly.

Remus smirked. "What will we be telling your brother?"

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. How many of you are like "FINALLY! IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!"? 2. What will their morning-after bring? 3. Favorite part and line? 4. Should my next story be Hermione/Draco or Remus/Sirius? 5. Predictions?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	46. Together

A/N. The fan-art contest was entered by one person, which is perfectly fine, and her name is Roseinthetardis, who is responsible for the really cool cover-art now! I like changing the covers every so often so it was nice to have this one :D the rest of the picture has Hermione in her many roles, one of her dancing with Voldemort, another of her dancing with Sirius, and lastly, Remus and Hermione's dance at the wedding.

On a sadder note, our neighbor's house caught on fire yesterday. March, my FOMB and roommate, was a hero. He ran in and out of the house looking for the owners' trapped cats and saved two of the three cats. He also turned off the gas and gave water to everyone. He's pretty awesome (:

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Six: Together

Hermione woke up with every bone her bodily feeling deliciously heavy and a cloud of contentment hanging over her. Even the soreness felt fantastic.

The night before had been a marathon of twenty-minute naps before they came together again and again. Unstoppable magnetism between the two of them made it impossible to stay asleep and apart.

Hermione had cried three times. She couldn't stop herself. The ears just came even though she'd never been so happy. Remus hadn't been offended or disgusted, he just kissed her tears away and whispered beautiful nothings in her ear as he moved ardently inside of her.

Her face was pressed against his firm chest as he eyes fluttered open, her whole body tangled with his. Their stomachs were aligned and every piece of their skin touched, so as Hermione tried very carefully to get up, remus was immediately alerted. His eyes opened up and Hermione perched herself up on her elbows.

Remus looked up at the girl leaned over him and smirked. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Not hurrying," she murmured, a blush adorning her cheeks. "I was going to shower..."

Remus's hands rested on the curve of her naked hips and shook his head. "Lie with me," he said quietly, his voice low and raspy.

"I smell awful," Hermione protested.

"You smell wonderful," he disagreed. "I always was enamored with the way you smell, ever since Hogwarts." Remus pressed his face into the crook of her neck and she could feel the tickle of his inhale. "Like parchment and slightly like chocolate."

Hermione couldn't help but snort. "Perhaps you were picking up on scents of yourself, because you're the one with the chocolate addiction."

She could feel Remus shake his head, his nose rubbing back and forth against her jugular. "It's definitely you," he assured her. "I would know your scent anywhere."

Hermione's hands fell onto his hard shoulders, her fingers tightening as he started sucking and nibbling on the spot of her neck where her pulse raged beneath the affections.

She tried to shake herself out of it. "I have to shower," she said, more trying to convince herself. "In case...I get summoned."

Remus sighed and reluctantly pulled away, dropping backwards onto the pillow again. "I probably need to sleep anyway," he murmured, rubbing a hand down his face and eyes. He curled his hand around one of hers. "Full moon's coming up."

Hermione nodded and kissed his forehead, rolling off. Remus still was holding her hand, though, and didn't let go until he couldn't any more. It reminded Hermione of James's wedding when they danced and Remus promised her he'd let go - he'd held her hand as she walked away until it was necessary to release it. It was one of Hermione's most painful memories, of watching his tawny eyes when he was letting her go.

Minutes later, Hermione was standing under the shower-head and letting the hot water sooth her achy limbs. She closed her eyes and let her mind flood with images of the night before.

It felt like all the growing sparks had finally set her world on fire.

Without warning the curtain flew open and Hermione let out a surprised squeal, instinctively using her arms to cover of private areas.

Remus only chuckled and Hermione could have smacked him. "Nothing I haven't seen, love," he teased, reaching out to delicately pull her hands away.

And Hermione couldn't help but feel her eyes grow at the realization that Remus was completely, utterly, stark naked.

Hermione had felt every inch of his body the night before, but she hadn't been privy to a full-length observation as she was now. Remus, despite his lean frame, was composed of wiry muscle that corded through his arms and legs and shoulders, his chest and sculpted and his stomach flat. Decorating his skin was silvery slashes, healed wounds that left behind reminding scars. The largest being the one who infected him, of course.

To Hermione, he was more beautiful than The David and every little imperfection made him more amazing. Hermione even liked the way that his scruffy, unshaved skin prickled against her neck and face.

She still wished he'd let her cut his hair, though. It was getting long and shaggy and covered his ears.

Remus stepped into the shower and they stood close enough together that the water came down on them both. Hermione swung the curtains shut and watched as droplets of water slid down his chest and legs.

For a man who'd made love almost nonstop to her all night and then boldly opened the shower when she was inside, he looked oddly shy as they examined each other closely. His eyes glanced across hers fleetingly, shyly.

"This is all very surreal," he said after the long stretch of silence. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up in bed alone."

Hermione gave a small smile. "So do I. Only...it's better than any fantasy I've ever had."

Remus nodded and ducked to kiss her. His mouth claimed her lower lip and Hermione smiled under his. The kiss was wet and slippery, but slow and sweet. It was such a mind-blowing kiss that Hermione, for an instant, wondered if she was going to faint.

Just when Hermione couldn't hold back any longer, her hands gravitating towards him, there was a loud knock on the door and they both jumped, their embrace instinctively tightening.

"Oi! Hermione, are you in there?" It was Sirius.

Hermione cleared her throat and called back, "Yeah, it's me! What's up?"

"The Order is going to be here in twenty minutes, just thought I'd let you know!"

"Alright!"

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Sirius called back tentatively. "You were pretty upset!"

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" I yelled towards the door of the bathroom. Remus was smiling and shaking his head at the hilarity of the situation. "I'm trying to shower!"

Hermione could practically hear the mischievous smile when he said, "I could always join you!"

Remus's smile fell.

"DEFINITELY NOT!" Hermione immediately shrieked.

"Jeez, I was only joking," was all Hermione heard Sirius say before retreating.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Does he join you for showers often?"

Hermione face-palmed herself, shaking her head. "No. He's just...being Sirius."

"I know this is probably an awkward question to be asking the woman you love when you're standing naked together in a shower," Remus said, sounding hesitant, "but have you and Sirius ever...slept together? I know we've always joked and Sirius makes the worse innuendo, but honestly, have you?"

There was a pause and Hermione said, "Would it make a difference?"

Remus sighed, "No. I'm just morbidly curious."

Slowly, Hermione nodded. "Only twice, though."

"And...You-know-who, right?"

A sickness was boiling in her stomach as she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded again.

Remus let out a very long sigh and nodded to himself. "I'm not angry, Hermione. Not at you, at least. But...why Sirius?"

Trying to distract herself and feign casualty, Hermione picked up he bottle of shampoo and started lathering her hands together before plunging them into Remus's sandy brown locks. "The first time was in Fifth Year," Hermione explained quietly. "It was my first time ever, as well. I thought it'd been his, too, but I found out he'd been lying. I forgave him eventually for not being honest, but we hadn't slept together again until..." Hermione stopped speaking, her hands pausing in his hair.

"It's not important," Hermione said, "right? Because it's just you and me now?"

"When, Hermione?" Remus asked firmly.

She took a deep breath and said, "The night of Lily and James's wedding."

Remus winced slightly. "Brilliant."

"It hadn't been expected, but we both were so hurt and -"

"You don't need to make excuses, Hermione," he said, holding up a hand and dipping his head under the stream to rinse out the soap. "I'd been the one who gave up on you. I just hadn't expected for you to move on so quickly."

"I really hadn't, though," Hermione admitted. "I never moved on."

"Neither did I," Remus confessed. "Not even a little. I'm sure Sirius and James can attest to my misery."

"I believe Sirius said you moped like a hungover ogre," Hermione said with a smirk.

"That sounds about right."

...

Everyone in the Order was accountable. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and everyone else. Hermione and Remus stayed to the back, considering Hermione still wanted to murder Albus and Remus wasn't very happy either. Once Hermione explained her deal with Dumbledore when they were both calm, Remus had been disappointed in his old Headmaster even if he disagreed with there being a deal made anyway.

Sirius, who dubbed himself as a co-leader of the Order, stood front and center, right behind Dumbledore like he belonged there.

"There's been an attack," Dumbledore said without preamble, "on a Muggle town by Voldemort's following werwolves."

Hermione instantly snatched up Remus's hand. He squeezed hers.

There was a murmur among the members and Dumbledore went on, "The attack had been predicted by one of our spies and was neutralized by myself and Minerva before too many got hurt."

Remus looked down to Hermione with a raised eyebrow. Hermione shook her head and whispered, "It must have been Snape."

"Why weren't you told?"

Hermione paused. "I have no clue. But I'm going to have a conversation with Snape."

"That's sure to be a walk in the park," Remus said with a sarcastic, Marauder-ish smirk.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle and tucked her face into Remus's shoulder to hide it as Dumbledore spoke seriously at the head of the room. He was laying out plans for the next meeting.

Once the meeting came to a close, there was plans made to all Floo and Apparate to the Headquarters at Mold-on-the-Wold for some healthy dueling practice, to have everyone in their best shape for whatever attack came next.

People were filtering out until all that was left were the Marauders. James and Lily - who, as Sirius said, was gigantic now - were making their way toward the Floo when Hermione and Remus was abruptly corner by six feet of velvet, leather, and too-long black hair.

"What's happened to the both of you?" Sirius demanded, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're all close and Hermione was giggling like a bloody school girl during the meeting."

"I was not!" Hermione snapped.

"Denial," Sirius said, waving it off. "But honestly, what's changed? Aren't you two still being petty children and ignoring one another?"

"Sirius, while you are like a brother to me," Remus said, "it's none of your business."

"My house, my business," Sirius pointed out.

"MY house!" Hermione corrected.

Sirius gave a faint growl. "Just...please, explain, because frankly I'm confused."

Hermione and Remus exchanged a look before she answered, "We're...trying things out."

Sirius's jaw dropped and for a moment they thought he was actually speechless. Until he recovered and half-shouted, "NOT ALLOWED. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT ALLOWED. DEFINITELY NOT. NEVER NEVER NEVER."

"Hold on just a moment!" Hermione said, holding up a hand. "Aren't YOU the one who's been pressuring me to be with Remus."

"Yes!" Remus agreed. "All he did was annoy the hell out of me, as well!"

"I wanted you to be FRIENDS again!" Sirius said quite loudly. "Not for you to give into your lustful feelings!"

Remus and Hermione exchanged another glance. She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, get over it, Sirius. There are much bigger things to be worried about right now."

"I beg to differ!" Sirius persisted.

Remus just grinned as Hermione took his hand and led him towards the Floo.

"THIS CONVERSATION IS FAR FROM OVER!" Sirius declared just as the new couple disappeared from the house in a burst of emerald flame.

...

It was that night that, after plenty of practice in the ballroom, the Order of the Phoenix took their group photo. Sirius, as always, made sure he was front and center with the rest of the Marauders clustered to the left of him. Lily and James stood shoulder to shoulder Sirius had yanked Hermione to his side with Remus standing behind her, one hand secretly resting on her waist.

Hermione remembered faintly the original picture in her own timeline, with Peter Pettigrew standing shadily behind the Potters and Remus tucked back in the shadows shyly. How different this was. Peter was gone from the Marauders' lives and Remus was not hiding.

The flash of the camera went off and they all felt bound. Until then, they had never felt like a singular force. But now the Order knew, they stood together. As soldiers, as friends, as witches and wizards, as an army.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. What do you want to see Sirius do in reaction to the news of his sister being taken? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters (there WILL be some Voldy coming up, just so you know)?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	47. Another Alleged Murder

A/N. I went for my 20-week ultrasound yesterday and guess what?

IT'S A BOY! I AM SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I really, really wanted a boy, so it's a dream come true!

My FOMB is happy, even though he was rooting for a girl. Hehe, I WIN!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Seven: Another Alleged Murder

"Black, what in good Merlin's name are you wearing?" Alastor Moody asked, sounding repulsed.

Sirius smoothed his hands down his ankle-length, velvet maroon coat and the pin-stripe waist coat beneath it. "Why, it's Fancy Friday, of course," the younger man said as if it should have been obvious. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"There was no memo, Black," Moody said gruffly.

"And more so than that," Hermione joined in, "it's Tuesday." She was sitting behind the desk in the middle of the large and bustling Auror's office, the desk that she and Sirius as junior Aurors were forced to share. Sirius was sitting atop it, his feet swinging and swirling his velvet coat about.

"Oh, dear," Sirius said, not sounding at all surprised. "I was wondering why everyone was dressing so casually. On the bright side, this Friday I can always put together another ensemble that will knock your socks off, Moody."

"There is no such thing as 'Fancy Friday', Black, goddammit!" Moody snarled.

Shaking her head and hiding a smile, Hermione looked down at the file in her hand for Antonin Dolohov. It was as thick as the Bible and twice as terrifying. Technically, her and Sirius's current assignment was to be tracking Dolohov, which was difficult to do when Hermione was simultaneously supposed to be protecting the Death Eater under Voldemort and Dumbledore's orders.

Which was infuriating, because Hermione's mind was still stained with the memory of her battle at Hogwarts where Remus and Dolohov's duel almost resulted in the former's death.

"Black," Moody said.

"Yes?" Hermione and Sirius inquired in unison.

Moody huffed and snapped, "_Female_ Black! You're wanted downstairs by Wizengamot. They've got a young Death Eater named Arden Lutum handing over your name for Ralph and Fiona Bones' murders."

Hermione's teeth ground together. She knew Arden, he was new to the Death Eaters, fresh meat. He was obviously not versed in the honor code and knew that, for her cover, she'd have to get him released, but doing so will undoubtedly lead to his death. The punishment for treason was execution in the Dark Lord's ranks.

Fiona and Ralph's son would surely testify to her innocence - they were in the Order together. The man was quiet, but a sweet man with a wife and kids. He would account for her presence elsewhere when the murders were happening.

Anyway, Hermione hadn't been present at the Bones' deaths. The Dark Lord no longer required her to join attacks - it was his sick was of being protective. Arden was probably still sore over the fact that she was made his mentor. The boy was as sexist as they came, hated women, and was pissed to have a woman telling him what to do.

Hermione would love to see him rot in Azkaban.

But she knew she'd have to get him pardoned.

"While we all know the claim is rubbish," Moody went on, "Wizengamot is suspicious, considering your record with alleged murders."

Hermione sighed. The Ministry would never let go of Orion Black's mysterious death.

Standing up from the desk with a sigh, Hermione pushed a curl out of her face and said, "I'll try to make this quick." She began walking away.

Moody called out, "Take your blasted brother with you!"

"Sorry, but he's all yours!" she called over her shoulder, practically jogging towards the exit. The last thing she heard when she shut the door was Sirius's barking laugh and Moody's growl.

...

The explanations made with Wizengamot went fairly quickly. Hermione declared that while she knew Mr. A. Lutum - family friends, she claimed - she was not responsible for the Bones' deaths. Edgar Bones happily went along with the alibi and Hermione got Arden out of the charges by saying that he'd been acting strange and had been wondering if he was the victim of an Imperius curse.

It was a common scapegoat for the Death Eaters, the Imperius curse. Since there was no proof of whether or not it was actually used - which it never was - it almost always set criminals free.

The trial was adjourned and Hermione gave her condolences to Amelia and Edgar, the victims' children, before hurrying out to see Lutum before he made his great escape.

Arden, as a Slytherin, had a strong survival instinct. He knew that being let free was equivalent to being put to death, so he would probably run to a country very far away. And Hermione was...going to let him.

Arden Lutum was a misguided young man, raised in a bigoted pureblood family. He never had the chance to make his own decisions on people, and Hermione certainly wasn't going to drag him back to Voldemort, and his death, just because he was raised to be evil.

It was tempting, yes, but Hermione did not like the side of her that would have been okay with Arden, only seventeen, being killed.

Hermione intercepted Arden's path right before he could get to the elevators.

He practically jumped out of his skin when she landed in front of him.

"Go to Australia," Hermione advised.

Arden's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why? So you can tell the Dark Lord where I am?"

"No," she said, grabbed a piece of his cloak to hold him still. "No, so you can't be found. I'm doing you a favor, Lutum. You'll be safe there. You know as well as I do that the second the Dark Lord sees you again, you're as good as dead. So listen to what I say, do not ask questions, and run. Malfoy has heard about your little accusations at trial and is no doubt on his way. Now go." She practically pushed him into the elevator and shut it manually herself.

As if on cue, Lucius Malfoy came walking down the corridor with a long-strided quick pace. He gave a start when he found Hermione there. In his right hand he clutched his walking stick with the silver snake head and jeweled eyes.

"Hermione," he said, striding up to her. "I assume you're looking for Lutum."

"Yes, but I'm afraid he's already left the building," she said, putting on a sour, disgusted face. "The little rat. He's probably already on his way out of the country."

Lucius scowled, tugging on his cloak with a small huff of frustration. "How unfortunate. I am sorry about his betrayal. It would be awful for you to be under any more scrutiny. I'm sure the Dark Lord will be furious and out for his blood."

Hermione could only nod and discreetly swallowed. "Well...I should go back to work."

"Nonsense," Lucius said, touching his walking stick to the ground. "Have lunch with me."

"It's nine o'clock in the morning," Hermione said. "And since when have you used the famous Malfoy cane? I thought you said you weren't going to touch it until you were forty."

"I had a leg injury recently that forced me to use it and I grew fond of it," Lucius said. "I will tell you the entire story over lunch."

"I repeat: It is nine in the morning," Hermione told him again, looking at her watch. She really had to get back to the Auror department. The office was probably turned upside down by now, with Sirius running loose.

"Call it a late breakfast, then," Lucius said simply, giving her ankle a tap with his can to get her to follow him into the elevator. "Come, now. We'll make a stop on the way to let Regis know you'll be out for a bit. Surely the Aurors can live without you for an hour."

With a sigh, Hermione followed. "You're forgetting that my brother is there without a tether."

"In that case, if we're lucky, the whole department will be burnt to the ground by the time we get back."

...

"Narcissa and i have been arguing about what to name the baby," Lucius said, twisting his mug of tea in circles. "She wants Cygnus or Druella, after her parents but I simply won't have it."

"What names would you like?" Hermione asked, trying to hide a smile.

"Pavo or Hydra."

Hermione cringed. "Those are awful names!" After hearing that list, she almost loved the name Draco.

Lucius looked offended, his face curling into his trademark sneer. "Oh really? And what, pray tell, would you name your children?"

"Hmm... Well, you want a constellation name, right? Because you like Pavo and Hydra, right?"

"My name choices are an attempt to appease Narcissa," Lucius said with a shrug. "Her family has the ridiculous tradition of naming children after the stars, so I found a couple that would meet the standards, but she is set in her ways. She wants the baby named after her parents...whom I cannot stand."

"Alright, so a constellation or star that does not sound terrible as a name," Hermione murmured, putting on a thinking expression. "How about... Leo?"

His sneer deepened. "Reminds me far too much of Gryffindor."

"How about Lynx?"

"Worse."

"Hmm..." Hermione paused for effect. "Have you, perhaps, considered...Draco?"

Lucius paused for a long stretch. "That's...not too miserable. Draco...Malfoy," he mused. "Yes. I think I can acclimate to it. I will discuss it with Narcissa this evening. But what if it's a girl?"

Hermione smirked. "I wouldn't worry about that. I have a very strong feeling it will be a boy."

"I hope so," he agreed. "Because then this pregnancy nonsense can truly end. Once I have an heir, I do not have to worry about reproduction any longer."

"You cynical old man."

"Who are you calling old?" Lucius miffed.

"You. After all, you must have realized the recession of your hairline."

Lucius's hand flew to his forehead and frantically began feeling around. "You lie."

Hermione grinned. "Maybe."

"You should have been a Slytherin," Lucius sneered, dropping his hand back to his

lap. "You are far too clever and evil."

Hermione was starting to think that Lucius might have been right.

...~oOo~...

"I am sorry again about the Lutum...incident," Voldemort purred, running one of his long, pale hands through her hair. "I assure you, the hunt for him will be relentless. Fortunately, though, you are an exceptionally intelligent witch to neutralize the accusations."

When Hermione and Sirius were preparing to leave the the Aurors' offices her arm had started to burn. When she Apparated, she landed in a little room that was probably in an old-fashioned inn. Obviously this was going to be a short visit, which Hermione was grateful for.

Normally when it was going to be a "romantic" visit, he would set them up somewhere in Italy or France or Ireland, somewhere expensive and fancy.

Hermione nodded. "Luckily, he wasn't Marked so it was easy enough. I knew you would have taken care of him better than the Ministry would have."

Voldemort nodded. "Azkaban is too good for traitors. Once we find him, his death will be...fitting. And you, of course, will get a front seat."

Hermione put on a smile. "Thank you, my lord."

The Dark lord wore one of his secretive, twisted smiles. "I am hoping that this war will end soon, and I will finally have victory. So far the battles have been in our favor. Any...hiccups from here on out are insignificant. The wizarding world is ours for the taking, my love."

Hermione only smiled and nodded. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and not the good sort.

"You seem...anxious, my dear," Lord Voldemort observed. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, just...anxious to be the victors, I suppose."

"There is not a thing to be worried about," said he, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "I have everything under control."

That was what Hermione was afraid of.

...~oOo~...

Walking through the front door of 12 Grimauld Place always put Hermione in a better mood. Over the past year, Sirius had made it their home by putting up photos and lighting scented candles. They'd made it their own.

"Sirius!" Hermione called out. "I'm home!"

"We're in the parlor!" Sirius's voice responded.

As Hermione took off her coat and hung it on the hanger, her brow furrowed. "We? Who is 'we'?" she called back, kicking off her shoes before padding to parlor.

When she walked in, she found the fireplace blazing, a bottle of whiskey open, and Sirius and Remus sitting across from one another.

Hermione stopped for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been here, Remus? Has Sirius been harassing you?"

"Endlessly," Remus confirmed with a grin. "And I've only been here for an hour. How was work?"

"Exhausting," Hermione said, walking into the room and dropping a kiss on Remus's cheek. "I'm sure Sirius told you all about how I was almost tried for murder again."

"It must be wonderful being you," Remus remarked, smirking.

"It's a wonderland, I tell you," Hermione grumbled. "If you can tolerate my brother's company for only ten minutes more, I'd love a shower."

"By all means," Remus said, putting a quick kiss on her lips. Though it was chaste and short, the kiss still brought a blush to Hermione's cheeks.

"When did you become such a girl?" Sirius asked dryly at his sister's blush and shy smile.

"In case you haven't noticed, I've always been a girl!" Hermione snapped, going from flushing school girl to bitchy sister in a half-second. "Something you refuse to acknowledge except for when it's most convenient to you!" She marched out.

Remus shook his head at his old friend and said, "You should really try being nicer to her, mate. She's a clever one - she'll make her revenge irreversible."

Sirius frowned and gave a glare. "Don't tell me how to treat my sister when you're shagging her. According the Marauders' Code, you and I are no longer confidants for the duration of your dalliance. "

"Sirius, there's no such thing as the Marauders' Code."

"Well, there should be," Sirius proclaimed, "because if there were, this thing you've got going with Whiskers would be punishable by death. Or at least castration."

"So, why is it alright for you to sleep with Hermione, but not me?" Remus inquired calmly, taking a sip of whiskey from his tumbler.

"She told you that, did she?" Sirius said, feigning indifference.

Remus nodded. "She also told me that you lied to her the first time you slept together."

"What did she do, tell you our entire history?" Sirius huffed. "Did she tell you that when you left her wrecked and devastated after James's wedding that the only person there for her was me? Did she mention that?"

"As a matter of fact, she did," Remus confirmed. "She also told me that you're a terrible shag."

Sirius's ego was visibly bruised and Remus wondered for a moment if he would literally start crying.

"I'm only joking, mate," Remus consoled him. "She did not comment on your bedroom prowess at all, before you ask. She just said that you've always been there for one another."

"And that will never change," said Sirius. "So next time you break her hear, I will rip out your throat and feed it to a rabid raccoon."

"Sounds fair enough, but I wouldn't hold your breath for it," Remus said, his voice softening. "I won't break her heart, never again. I'm not letting go of her this time, Pads."

"Are you talking, like...forever?"

Remus nodded. "I think I am."

"The second I find out she's carrying your spawn, you'll wish I'd ripped out your throat."

Remus only rolled his eyes. Speaking with Sirius when he was like this was like fighting with a three-year-old; it got you absolutely nowhere.

"Whatever you say, Padfoot," Remus said simply. "And, by the way, I want to call off our pact. I need to cut my hair, it's getting out of hand."

"No!" Sirius immediately exclaimed. "Not yet!"

Remus let out a long sigh. "Sirius, Hermione is obviously not getting married any time soon," he told his friend the same way he would tell a child, "and my hair will be down to my waist by then. I still have no clue why yours isn't unmanageable yet."

"I used a charm to keep it shoulder-length," Sirius gloated.

"That's cheating!"

"No, the deal was that neither of us would _cut_ our hair until Hermione was married," Sirius corrected him. "And I didn't cut it. I charmed it. Therefore, I am well within my rights."

"Oh, that's it," Remus said, exasperated. "The moment Hermione comes back from her shower, I'm asking her to cut my hair."

"I knew I should have made you make an Unbreakable Vow!"

"Sirius, you're barmy," was all Remus said.

"And you're insane! Asking for a haircut from Hermione is suicide," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "She'll make you look like a bloody Puffskein...or worse: Prongs."

Hermione poked her head into the room, her wet, curly hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing pajamas. She was beaming like it was Christmas. "Did I hear something about a haircut?"

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. What do you think about their haircut pact? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. What do you think is going to happen to Arden Lutum?4. Would you like to see more of Sirius at work? Hehe :)

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	48. Red Spring

A/N. I'm sorry for the delay! I got sucked up in a novel called Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. It was pretty good, for anyone who wants to read it - it's a cute romance between two people who started off as best friends, which I think is the best kind of love - in case you haven't noticed ;) Hehe.

Yes, in Prisoner, Captive, AND the Last Marauder my pairings always were best friends first. The father of my child is my best friend. It's the purest kind of love, in my opinion.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Eight: Red Spring

It was two in the morning when there was an owl tapping urgently on the window. With a groan, the man next to her curled his arms tighter around me, eyes still shut. Hermione couldn't tell whether he was still asleep or not.

"Remus," she whispered, trying to gently untangle herself from his arms. He didn't answer and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. He was definitely in a deep sleep. She twisted out of his embrace and shuffled to the window, throwing it open. It was late spring and the nights were cool, a breeze floating in with the owl.

The bird was tawny with grey speckles all over it. Hermione didn't recognize it as a personal owl, and figured it was a Hogwarts owl. She took the note from its claw and unfolded the small parchment. The note had a single line on it in spidery handwriting, but the words were enough to draw every drop of blood from Hermione's face.

"Remus," she said, louder this time, hastily finding her trousers and slipping them on. She reached out to shake him lightly and he started awake, his eyes flying open, and his hand snapping out to hold the wrist of hand that touched him. Once he realized it was Hermione, his grip loosened and he relaxed. Until he saw her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his brow pulling together.

"The McKinnons," she said shakily. "They're all dead."

...

The rest of May continued with similar notices. A lot of people died. Along with the complete wipe-out of the McKinnons came the Bones family massacre - Edgar and his wife were slaughtered, but with the information from Snape they were able to save their three children.

More people were dying in battles and attacks. It was a very bloody start to summer, the Order was losing morale and the fighting got harder. Hermione was unable to participate in any battles, being a spy. Fighting with the Order would blow her cover and Voldemort was still being sickeningly protective and keeping her out of it all.

And one of the most difficult points for Hermione was the ongoing debate between he and Remus and his opportunity to spy on the werewolves.

They'd gone round and round, screaming and crying - on Hermione's part - and at one point a vase was broken. It was the same argument every time. The greater good versus Hermione and Dumbledore's deal versus duty versus love.

Watching their friends die had a large effect on the Marauders. It became hardest on Sirius, the circles under his eyes grew deeper and darker, his eyes less shining and more vacant as of late. Hermione tried her best to talk to him, and try to comfort him, but he mostly pushed her out.

Late in the evening, midnight about, Hermione sat at the kitchen table with a large mug of chamomile tea. She hated the stuff, but she read somewhere that it was supposed to promote sleep. She was alone in Grimauld Place, her brother and the love of her life were both out protecting a muggle building that had an attack planned on it.

When she laid down, Hermione could see the flashing lights of curses and fallen bodies behind her eyelids. So she'd boiled some tea after searching the house high and low for a vial Dreamless Sleep.

A curious thing, the house empty of Dreamless Sleep Draught. She made batches on droves for when Order members had late meetings in the dining room and then couldn't sleep. But the fact that there was none left...and Hermione hadn't taken any in quite a while...there should have been a lot of it in the bathroom stash.

Sirius must have been having one hell of a time sleeping, she realized.

Sipping the foul tasting liquid, Hermione gave a small jump when the front door opened.

"Sirius?" she called out.

"It's all three of us, 'Mione!" James's tired voice called back.

Padding quickly on bare feet, Hermione dashed to the foyer where the boys were slowly, painfully pealing off their jackets and coats. The edges of the fabric were singed and they smelt like a bonfire.

"What happened?" Hermione demanded as she carefully helped James out of his coat. His sleeves had a large, burnt hole in it that went straight through to bloody flesh.

"The building went up like a torch," Remus reported sleepily. His sandy hair was ruffled and his jaw was scruffy, his eyes bloodshot.

"Mulciber can't cast a firestorm for shite," Sirius growled and he kicked off his shoes and marched for the kitchen in socks.

"Why aren't you with Lily, James?" Hermione asked. "She must be worried sick!"

James was shaking his head. "She's probably asleep in bed. She's been constantly exhausted lately, and I wanted to heal my arm up before she saw it and freaked out. I don't like getting her anxious when the baby is coming so soon."

"Merlin knows one good scare and she could go into labor, mate!" Sirius called out from the kitchen sarcastically.

James rolled his eyes and started towards the kitchen.

Hermione walked up to Remus, putting both hands on his chest and doing inventory, her eyes scanning over every bit of him while he bent down to kiss her hair. Hermione let out a sigh of relief when he seemed to be fine.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered, his hands sliding up to his cheeks, feeling his coarse whiskers beneath her fingers. Reaching up on her toes she kissed him, his hands touching her waist softly, his finger caressing her sides slowly.

There was a large crash in the kitchen and they jumped apart in surprise. They heard a shocked yell from James and loud cussing from Sirius.

Hermione looked up at Remus and inquired, "Should we check on them?"

Remus groaned, "Must we?"

"We must," Hermione said, taking his hand. "Otherwise one of them might die and I don't think I'll survive another murder trial."

In the kitchen, a very large sack of rice had tumbled from its high shelf, into the pots, which landed in Sirius's head, who was now lying on the floor grumbling angrily.

Hermione at least tried to stifle her giggle, but Remus outright laughed. "Padfoot, old man, do you need a hand?" Remus asked through his laughter, walking over and offering his arm.

Sirius only growled at him and got up on his own, using the stove to pull himself up, effectively burning his hand on the still-hot stovetop. He let out a yelp and frantically pulled his hand away, running backwards instinctively and slamming into the cupboard behind him. He felt forward with the impact and hit the floor again.

Everyone watched in stunned silence. That is, until James started guffawing uncontrollably, Hermione and Remus following suit. Laughter filled the kitchen while Sirius stewed in his bad mood, rubbing his injured hand.

"Shut up," he mumbled, standing up and slamming the coffee pot onto the hot stove-top before throwing himself down into a chair next to James.

The laughing died after a bit and the boys all sat around the table while Hermione put out cookies and began brewing a healing potion for James's arm.

"How's Lily?" Remus asked, breaking the extended silence.

"Cranky, sleepy, hungry, and large," James ticked off as if he'd thought it a thousand times. A small grin flashed across his soot-striped face. "It's almost time, though. Little Marigold is almost here."

"You're going to name the baby Marigold?" Hermione said as she stirred the potion twice clockwise. "What if it's a boy?"

"If it's a boy, we'll name him Harry," James said, his smile broadening. "But Lily's insisting it's a girl. She's so sure, as a matter of fact, that it's the only reason she let me choose the name for a boy. She absolutely hates it, but she figures since she knows it's a girl then there's nothing to worry about it."

Hermione laughed. Hard. So hard, in fact, they stared at her as if she'd grown a second head and was covered in green polka dots. HErmione laughed for so long she almost missed her chance to add the elder extract, but she controlled herself and added the ingredient.

"I'll put money on it being a boy," Hermione giggled. "Mostly to see Lily's face."

"I'll get in on that bet," Sirius said. "Girl. Ten galleons."

Remus nodded. "Lily's a smart witch, a training Healer. She knows the signs. I'm saying a girl, as well."

Harry shrugged. "I hope it's a boy, but I can't deny that my wife is one intelligent woman. Girl, as well."

Hermione couldn't help but think it was the easiest thirty galleons she'd ever made.

...~oOo~...

The next day, June fifth, Lucius came running into the Auror's office, looking slightly annoyed, and slightly frazzled. Hermione was in the middle of transferring some papers, and gave a start at the blonde man marching towards her.

"Narcissa's in labor," he reported, grabbing her sleeve and beginning to pull her.

"But...why aren't you there with her?" Hermione demanded.

"I needed to come get you, of course!"

"Why me?" Her mind was whirling.

"I can't bloody well do this without you, obviously! Just follow me, dammit!"

Hermione could see that Lucius was panicking. It made him...almost human. His normally cold and detached exterior that fragile and like any young man with their first child on the way, he was freaking out.

"Sirius!" Hermione called out to her brother across the room. "Tell Regis that I have to go!"

Sirius only rolled his eyes and sneered.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione arrived at St. Mungo's to see Narcissa with her legs bent up and shouting swear words Hermione had never even heard of before. Severus was there already, standing by the Healers and watching everything they did with cold assessment, silently daring them to make a mistake.

"YOU!" Narcissa exploded, pointing an accusatory finger at her shocked husband. "THIS IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!"

Lucius had no response to that.

"YOUR STUPID, BLOODY FAMILY AND THE NEED FOR A FUCKING HEIR!" she shrieked. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, LUCIUS!"

Severus and Hermione exchanged glances. Glances that said, "She's as crazy as we thought".

The next hours were...deafening. Narcissa would not stop screaming. She cursed the name of the Healer and said that she was going to rip Severus's smug, bachelor jugular from his throat and stab Hermione with a Turkish_ Salaki_ stick, something that no one had any clue of what it was.

Two hours later, Narcissa let out her final screams before they began melded with a different sort of cry altogether - the cry of a baby.

"It's a boy!" the Healer announced, sounding greatly relieved that it was over.

The Healer held up the gooey, close-eyed baby with set wisps of striking blonde hair flat to its bumpy skull.

Narcissa, panting and sweaty, gave the crack of a smile and reached out for her son.

Lucius was beaming, and Hermione figured it was because he got the son that he'd wanted. No more of this procreation nonsense, as he said.

"There was a reason why I wanted you here, though, Hermione," Lucius said as his son cried in his mother's arms.

"And you, Severus," Narcissa added, still sounding out of breath from her pushing and hollering.

"We were wondering if you would do us the honor of becoming our child's grandparents?" Lucius said formally.

Severus and Hermione both stood in silence for a moment.

This was so many levels of wrong, Hermione thought. She was being asked to be Draco Malfoy, her childhood tormentor's godmother. And on top of that, Hermione and Lucius's friendship had been birthed purely out of deception and necessity on Hermione's part.

But... Lucius was Hermione's friend, whether she liked it or not, and refusing would be suspicious.

She and Severus exchanged one of their famous looks before Severus nodded and intoned, "The honor is ours."

...~oOo~...

That night, Hermione Apparated to Remus's, feeling exhausted and ready to just be held.

She found Remus in his parlor, reading a thick novel with a hard black cover and gold lettering on the spine, reading the words "Jane Eyre". He hadn't noticed her come in yet and looked consumed by the pages, his thumb rubbing across his lower lip in thought.

"Charlotte Bronte," Hermione said, pulling Remus from his reverie. "What has you reading Muggle literature?" She walked over to sit beside him on the worn-out sofa. Remus opened up his arm an she tucked herself into it, leaning into his chest and looking at the page he was on.

"Unlike our pureblood friends, I am well-rounded and open to the talents of Muggle artists," Remus said with a soft grin. "And the heroine reminds me a bit of you."

Hermione smirked and asked, "How so?"

"Adventurous, strong, smart," he said, his free hand running over her hair and twirling a lock of it. He closed the novel and set on the cushion next to him. "How was your day?"

"Narcissa had the baby."

"Oh, Lord. Another Death Eater gracing the earth."

Hermione chuckled. "Never fear, he hasn't cast a Kedavra quite yet, his eyes have barely opened."

"He? So it's a boy? What did they name him?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Hermione answered, smiling a little. "Hair as blonde as his father's. For a handsome family, he isn't the most attractive newborn in the hospital."

"Mmm," Remus hummed, "it's all the inbreeding."

She laughed and looked up at him to meet his eyes. "They asked me to be his godmother and I've said yes."

"Wow," he mused. "Interesting. And the godfather is...?"

"Severus."

Remus smirked. "The Malfoys have bad luck with their closest friends. They've chosen spies as their child's caretakers."

"At least we'll keep him more safe than a real Death Eater would have."

"True," Remus granted. His thumb stroked her cheek and traced her chin. "You care for them?"

"The Malfoys? In a way, I suppose. Despite Lucius's loyalty to the Dark Lord, he has saved me once or twice. He was my mentor and only companion when I first entered the Dark Lord's circle. I feel I...owe him this. Or maybe I feel I owe his child - after all, Draco could not help what family he was born into. At least I can protect him in the end."

"You have the heart of a saint," Remus told her solemnly.

Hermione sighed. "I wish. I could use a miracle right about now. I feel like everything is falling apart."

Remus kissed a lingering kiss to Hermione's forehead. "You're okay," he assured her quietly. "I've got you. I've always got you."

With Remus's hands on her, Hermione's exhaustion dissolved away. She curled her hands into his newly cut hair and crushed her mouth to his.

Every time they shared a kiss, it felt brand new. Hermione noticed something new with every kiss - the way he tasted, the silkiness of each healed scar, the fact that all of his fingernails were squared off.

Remus cradled her face in his long hands, kissing her harder, like she was oxygen. As her face got warm and her palms tingled, Hermione climbed into his lap, bracing each knee on the outside of his thighs. He dropped his hands to her thighs, his fingers skimming up the sides of her legs to her hips where he took hold of the hem of her shirt.

Hermione clawed at his shirt, pealing it off and hers fell off not long after his. Remus's mouth traced her jaw and neck and collarbone, leaving a path of icy heat in its wake. When he nipped the strap of her plain nude bra, pulling it back and letting it snap back Hermione giggled like a teenager.

Remus chuckled too and murmured against her skin, "My apologies."

"You're not sorry," she laughed as he breathed on her the way he knew tickled her. "Quit it!"

He looked up innocently. "Quit what?"

"You're...ah!...tickling me!" she giggled as he breathed on her and ran his fingers very lightly up and down her sides.

"There's the smile," Remus said, grinning up at her as he stopped tickling her.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, still chuckling. "What smile?"

"The smile I live for." Remus touched his finger to her curved mouth. "Right there."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. How do you think Lucius is going to handle an infant? 3. Favorite character? 4. Harry is almost born - we're inching closer to the end: What would you like to see before it's all over?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	49. Baby Talk

A/N. good news! I am officially at the tail end of my illness! THANK GOODNESS. I was so sick of being...well...sick! haha!

A shout-out to an avid reader and new friend PeetaIsMine, who's messages actually fueled me to hurry up and write this next chapter! THANK YOU FOR THE INSPIRATION, PeetaIsMine!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Forty-Nine: Baby Talk

Harry James Potter came into the world on July 31st on a rainy afternoon, the day after Neville Longbottom. Alice and Lily were actually room neighbors during their stay at St. Mungo's.

Hermione found the entire ordeal very overwhelming. If she'd thought seeing her childhood bully being born, seeing her best friend be born was about a thousand times worse. All the Marauders had been there with Lily, though. During the big climax of the labor, Lily squeezed James's hand on one side and Hermione's on the other.

"You can do this, Lily," Hermione encouraged, sweat running down the back of her neck. Lily was doing better than Narcissa had, but her hand had a death hold on Hermione's. "You're almost there - your baby is almost here!"

"You're doing great, love," James murmured, sounding like a nervous wreck. He pressed his forehead to hers and kept whispering, "You're doing wonderfully. I love you - so much."

Remus was standing right behind Hermione, giving the same encouragements to Lily while rubbing Hermione's shoulders. Sirius paced behind the Healers, getting a peek between Lily's legs everyone once in a while and cringing, his face turning greener.

"SIRIUS, STOP LOOKING AT MY VAGINA!" Lily squealed, her first outburst in a while. She was deep breathing and pushing when the Healer told her to.

"I'm sorry!' he said immediately, his face clammy and colorless. "It's just - it's crazy! I've never seen anything like it!"

"I guarantee, you philandering man whore, that you _have_," Lily growled through the pain, her teeth clenching.

"My wife, isn't she incredible?" James said with awe. "A sense of humor even when she's in the middle of what's supposedly the most painful experience a person can go though -"

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, JAMES!" Lily said on a large push.

Hermione couldn't help but smirk and snort.

"You think it's FUNNY?" Lily demanded of Hermione, squeezing her hand tighter. "I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOUR SHOVING OUT SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A WATERMELON WITH REMUS SPUTTERING NONSENSE OVER YOUR SHOULDER!"

"I'm sorry, Lily," Hermione said, immediately feeling guilty.

"You are NOT forgiven!" Lily hissed. She opened her mouth to say more, but what came out was a howl, her head dropping back as she panted and gave one more mighty push. "OHHHHH!"

Then, just as there was with Draco, the ring of a newborn's cry filled the room and melted the hearts of everyone in attendance. James kissed Lily frantically, uttering over and over how much he loved her.

While Draco had been a petite baby, Harry was shockingly longer, with fatter cheeks and way more hair. Black hair, that stuck up like he'd been electrocuted.

"It's a boy," the Healer told everyone. It shocked everyone in the room except for Hermione.

"I expect my money from each of you as soon as possible," she said smugly as the baby harry was passed over to Lily's arms.

James looked positively triumphant. "Harry James it is. Guess you weren't as sure as you thought you were, darling."

Lily looked down at her son adoringly and said, "Shut up, James."

...

A few hours later, Hermione looked through the window and into the nursery at St. Mungo's. Harry was in there, getting all of his diagnostic spells by the Healers and sitting next to him, a rather large baby who had to be ten pounds, was none other than Neville.

Taking a quick gander around to make sure no one she knew was around, Hermione had a few words to say to her best friend.

"Hello, Harry," she said quietly, looking at the black-haired, big-green-eyed baby with a scar-less forehead. "You don't know me...not yet, anyway...but you and I are - were - very good friends. Best friends, actually. You, I, and Ronald Weasley - you haven't met him yet either. You two will get on great, though...except for when Ron is being a prat." She had to chuckle at that, the memories. "But... I want you to know I love you very much. And so do your parents and Sirius, and Remus too. They would all give their lives for you. Lucky baby.

"But I'm going to make sure they don't have to," Hermione continued. "I'll keep them safe, and doing so may involve...well, let's just say you might get an earful about me once you're older and it may not be all good things. But everything I did - everything I do - it's for _you_, Harry. So that you never have to know struggle or misery or loneliness and so that you can feel loved every moment of your entire life like you deserve.

"And whatever you hear about me...when you grow up...please don't judge me too harshly," she said hesitantly. "Though I may deserve it, I don't want you to think ill of me. And I might not always be there to explain why I do what I've done or defend myself - though, I'm guessing my brother will be good for that, I suppose. He rarely lets anyone say a negative word about me. He'll be a great godfather, will love you like you're his own. He may he one hell of an annoyance on your mother - God knows he is to me - but he always is good-intentioned and would give you the world if he could.

"Wow," Hermione breathed, smiling. "You really are perfect, aren't you? A beautiful baby boy," she mused. She lifted a hand to the glass, to somehow get closer to the little bundle of happiness. "I'm sort of jealous of your mother," she admitted. "She is in love, she has a wonderful son, and she is going to have a long, happy life. I'll make sure of it. I wonder if I'll ever have that kind of fulfillment." With a deep breath, she finished, "I love you, Harry."

"You'll have that someday, too," a voice said behind her, making her jump and her hear ricochet. She spun around and found James. He looked tired and giddy at the same time, his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets.

"How much did you hear?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Just that last part, about having the fulfillment of being a mother." James stood beside her, looking through the glass at his son as well. "Soon, you will."

Hermione shook her head. "I can't afford to get pregnant now," Hermione told him, crossing her arms lightly over her chest. "Not with everything. Not yet."

"After the war, then," James assured her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side for a hug. Hermione smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "I promise you, the moment all of this is over, Remus will be happy to shag nonstop until you pop out a Little Lupin."

Letting out a very long sigh, the mental image of a girl with bubble-gum pink hair was holding hands with Remus, a woman with the same hopes as Hermione. But Hermione wasn't going to be around for that after the war. She wondered if Tonks and Remus would live happily ever after with the timeline alterations Hermione was making.

"What's wrong, Whiskers?" James asked, seeing Hermione's pensive expression.

"I don't know, James," she confessed. "I don't...I'm not sure if Remus will want to be with me long enough to have his children. God knows I want to," Hermione said with a half-laugh, half-sob. "I really do, but..." She shook her head. "I'm not sure if it's in our cards."

"I didn't like Lily was in mine either," James said. "Nor Harry. But here they are. And they're mine. Some of the greatest things in life are complete surprises."

In Hermione's life, there was rarely anymore surprises. She knew everything that would happen like it was a history book. But she obviously didn't tell James that.

"I hope you're right, Prongs," she whispered, hugging her friend closely, closing her eyes. "I love you. You're the best friend a person could ask for." She tried blinking away the oncoming tears.

James smiled and patted her back. "So are you...which is why Lily and I want you as Harry's godmother."

"Um..."

"That wasn't a question, 'Mione," James laughed.

"But you know I'm the Malfoys' godmother too, isn't that a conflict of interest?" Hermione chuckled, wiping away the tears.

"Conflict of interest?" James laughed, shaking his head. "I'm not asking for a lawyer, Hermione! I'm asking for the godmother of my child!"

"But...Lily doesn't like me much."

"Are you kidding? She loves you!"

Hermione gave James a look.

James sighed, "Oh, alright, so you two need a bit to work on - but that doesn't deny the fact that you have been a HUGE part in our lives! And you will be a big part in Harry's as well. So, whether you like it or not, you're his godmother." He shrugged. "As I said, it wasn't a question."

Shaking her head, Hermione smirked and looked at Harry again. "Lucius was much more formal about it."

"Highlighting the differences between Lucius Malfoy and I only makes my day better, you know."

Hermione patted his head and said, "I can't help but agree."

...~oOo~...

"Hermione?" Remus whispered.

"Yes?" Hermione whispered back, pressing her face into his bare shoulder.

They were lying in Remus's bed, the windows open and the lights off. Harry was three days old and had been brought home for the first time that afternoon. Sirius ad a date with one of the female Healers that evening and Remus and Hermione had decided to stay in for the evening.

"I think we should talk," Remus said tentatively.

"Oh, boy," Hermione said on a gust of breath. "Here it comes."

"Here what comes?" Remus asked.

"The inevitable end to our relationship," Hermione said sadly. "My issues about commitment and our constant arguing about your offer to spy on Greyback, the war, seeing James and Lily happy while we remain oceans from a settled life - it's all become clear to you that these things stand in the way of your happiness. I understand, Remus, I do." She began lifting herself up and drawing away.

Remus, with an incredulous laugh, reached out and pulled her back. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not breaking up with you, Hermione!"

With a pause, Hermione flushed with embarrassment. "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'," Remus chuckled, leading her head back to his shoulder. "You're so skittish."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Children."

"Merlin and Arthur, Remus!" Hermione spluttered. "We've only been dating a couple months!"

"No, no, Hermione, calm down," Remus said quickly, stroking her hair. "You need to take a deep breath and listen, love."

Hermione did as he said.

"What Lily said - when she was in labor - about me standing over your shoulder and being nonsensical while you hypothetically had our child had me thinking that you and I aren't clear on where we stand with children."

Slowly, Hermione nodded.

"And I realized that I'd never talked to you about my reservations about...becoming a father. And you deserve to know, because it's a big deal - children are something that most young woman dream about. Don't you, Hermione?"

Hesitantly, Hermione nodded. "I do...but not in the near future."

"What I mean about reservations, Hermione, is that...well...I can't have any. It's not as if I'm sterile," he added, "It's that...my lycanthropy. Werewolves don't often have children, so it's impossible to tell whether it is...genetic."

"It isn't," Hermione told him.

"You don't know that."

"I have a hunch."

"Hermione, while your hunches are incredible things," Remus said indulgently, "there is just no way of knowing - and it's not a risk I'll ever take. I can't bring a life into this world knowing there's a chance they'll be cursed like it's father."

Hermione sighed. "Did you say once before that you wanted children...in Dorea and Charlus's parlor?"

Remus paused. "I was very...caught up in the moment. I was dreaming of a future with you that I thought was so unlikely that it was safe to dream about kids in that moment, because I was so sure it wouldn't happen. I'm sorry if I have you false hope, but -"

"Remus," Hermione cut in, feeling her heart sting. "I am not going to lie. Carrying your child would be..." Her eyes got misty as she tried to think up a word. "It would be the singularly most incredible opportunity in my life. You're right - it is something I dream of, but I dream of it not because I'm the usual young woman, but because I am so hopelessly in love with you that even the concept of creating something that is half of you and half of me just takes my breath away.

"But you must know," Hermione said, growing solemn, "that someday, you may find the perfect woman to have children with - and you mustn't deny her that because of some half-theory that you have about your furry little problem!"

Remus shook his head, trying to process the last part. "Hermione, 'someday I may find the perfect woman'? Really? Are you still on that? Hermione, you're the perfect woman! The only person I would even dream of having the children conversation is you!"

Hermione pulled herself up onto her elbows to have a stare down between she and him. Remus looked very frustrated.

"You know what I mean, Remus -"

"No, I don't!" he snapped. "You're acting like you and I aren't going to last forever, like you're expecting we'll break apart! It's a horrible feeling, anticipating the worst for us!"

"It's not that I think we'll separate - I want to be with you forever -"

"Then start talking like it, because you're always alluding to a future where I'm with a different woman," Remus said sharply.

"But what if you are!" she finally exclaimed, getting as annoyed as him. "One day, Remus, you are going to get sick of me! You are going to hate me! You are going to fall in love with someone else! I don't want to be the one to hold you back!"

"You say that as if you know for fact!"

"I have an intuition," Hermione hedged. "And more than anything, I want you to be happy, darling, I do." She reached out to run her hand through his hair but he turned away.

"I'm happy with you," he ground out. "Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you more than anyone."

"Than why don't you believe a word I say?"

Bending down, Hermione touched her lips lightly to his. "Have you been working on your puzzle box?" she asked, changing the subject completely.

Remus let out a huff and growled, "You're not allowed to just -"

"Have you?" she asked again.

Remus rolled his eyes. They obviously weren't going to get anywhere with this. "It's been a while," he admitted warily, sounding tired.

"Well," Hermione said cryptically, "you have a year left. You better get working."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Harry's been born! What do you think is going to happen next? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Any more guesses on the puzzle box? 4. Favorite character?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The FIsh ~


	50. Sleep Well, Judas

A/N. This chapter title is inspired by a line I once read once, I think it was Mark Millar's _Civil War_. I just loved it, and I thought it fit for this chapter.

Also, a Guest Reviewer asked about how Hermione will be obliterating her original timeline and thus, herself. The Guest thinks that Hermione will basically die once she's completed her mission, but that isn't the way time travel works (at least, the way I imagine time travel). Hermione has been transplanted from the original timeline into this one - so much that she BELONGS in the current timeline because she's been there for so long.

And according to certain beliefs of how timelines and dimensions work - the timeline that she left is actually still in existence somewhere in the universe, but does not involve her - it cannot be erased or destroyed. As long as there is not the same person in 2 different "dimensions" she's pretty much safe.

Like a body part transplant, Hermione is now sewn into the world she is in.

Those are the workings of the Time-Turner to my understanding :)

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty: Sleep Well, Judas

Arden Lutum writhed on the floor in the middle of the circle of cloaked witches and wizards. The young Death Eater had not taken Hermione's advice to flee to Australia and instead took his chances in the mountains. He had made a stupid decision and his trail was easily picked up on.

Voldemort loved mind games. He'd known where Lutum was for more than a month, but was leaving him be and luring him into a false sense of security.

It was a full moon. Hermione wanted nothing more than to be with Remus, but she'd been called on by the Dark Lord, leaving no room for opposition. So there she was, standing beside her master as she watched an eighteen-year-old, misguided boy be tortured at the hands of a man he once followed blindly.

Bellatrix cackled the loudest, but many laughs passed through the Death Eaters. Hermione watched on in the way Lucius did - a calm, resonating expression.

"You made a grave mistake, Lutum," the Dark lord intoned. "Betrayal is a coward's play and a traitor means less to me than dust. And the assumption you could hide makes you a fool as well. So what punishment, Lutum, do you think a cowardly, traitorous fool deserves?"

Arden Lutum could not answer through the pain wracking through him. All he did was shaking and whimper and sometimes scream.

"ANSWER!" the Dark Lord commanded harshly.

"You do as your master says!" a different Death Eater hissed.

"I can handle this, Crouch," the Dark lord soothed the venomous voice. "But I appreciate the enthusiasm."

Barty Crouch Jr., scowling, flicked out his tongue in a snake-like manner, but said nothing else.

"Answer me," the Dark Lord said once more, his cold voice rolling over everyone in the circle like a wave. "What do you deserve?"

Forcing through his trembling lips and agony, Arden Lutum let out a single raspy word that took every iota of effort he had left in his body: "Death."

The Dark Lord gave a grim, spine-shivering smile and broke the curse. Arden's body stopped writhing but still shivered in aftershock and fear.

"You heard his answer," the Dark Lord said to Hermione. "The right to carry out the punishment is all yours, my dear. I am sure you've been eager for...recompense."

Hermione gave him a small, grateful and slow smile. She drew out her wand, poised it at Arden Lutum and forced herself to mean it as she uttered the words, "_Avada Kedavra_."

...~oOo~...

The next day he Order gathered at Grimauld Place, but the only Marauders present were James, Sirius, and Hermione. Remus was still recovering from his transformation at his own home; Hermione planned to visit him after the meeting. Lily had refused to be absent from the meeting, but did not have a babysitter, so sitting among the rest of them was Lily Potter with a bundled up baby in her arms, rocking back and forth to keep Harry asleep.

Hermione couldn't help but be impressed with Lily. She was one fierce woman. She reminded her of the famous, fire-haired pirate Grace O'Malley who, according to legend, gave birth to her child below desk in the middle of her ship being attacked. The moment her child was out of her, she went above desk with pistols blazing, sword brandished. She war warrior mom.

At the meeting, Dumbledore discussed the possibility of a leak among them, which set Hermione way off. She'd taken care of Pettigrew - who could possibly be a spy now? None of the Order members were Death Eaters - not including her and Snape. It made Hermione's skin crawl that there could be another mole.

The meeting adjourned and everyone shuffled out, feeling more paranoid and suspicious than ever.

Before the Prewett twins could leave though, Hermione got their attention. They gave their matching, charming smiles.

"'Ello, poppet," Gideon said in his jolly tone despite the dreary meeting.

"How are you, love?" Fabian added. "See you and Lupin finally pulled your heads out of your arses."

"Yes, congratulations," Gideon agreed.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "I...actually wanted to ask you a favor...Gideon, actually."

"I am at your service, madam," Gideon declared with a regal bow.

"You work at Gringotts, right?" Hermione asked.

"Indeed, I do."

"Well, in the near future I'm going to need to retrieve something very important from one of the vaults," Hermione hedged, giving him a significant look.

Slowly, Gideon nodded, obviously getting the message. "How near?"

Hermione shrugged. "Actually, that is entirely up to you."

Gideon took a deep breath. "This is for Dumbledore, I reckon?"

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't," Hermione confirmed.

"Then I'll get back to you on that. I'll need to...do some ground work. What you're asking is pretty close to impossible but I think I could cook something up."

Fabian said, "If either of you need any help, just let me know."

Gideon clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Sure thing, mate."

"Thank you, Fabian," Hermione said. "You're both amazing friends."

Gideon nodded. "We are, aren't we?"

Fabian grinned. "The absolute best."

...

And hour or two later, Hermione was holding Harry in the parlor. James and Sirius were picking out which bottle of whiskey they wanted to open and Lily was lying on the couch, her eyes drifting shut before abruptly opening time and time again.

While she rocked the little green-eyed boy, Hermione looked up at the large family portrait above the fireplace and grimaced. It was of Walburga sitting in a chair, Orion standing somberly behind her, Sirius standing next to him looked thoroughly annoyed, and Hermione and Remus on either side of their mother. It was the portrait Walburga had down on their last Christmas together.

"You'll have to take that down," Lily's drowsy voice said, seeing Hermione gazing at it with loathing.

Hermione nodded. "We should get a portrait done of all of us. Sirius, Remus, James, Harry, you and me."

LIly smiled, her eyes slowly falling shut again. "That would be great. Maybe we'll do it this Christmas."

"There's my little monster!" Sirius said, coming in with a tumbler in one hand, the other outstretched towards Hermione.

"I hope you aren't talking about me," Hermione said with a teasing scowl.

" 'Course not! I'm talking about my godson! Hand him over," Sirius laughed, scooping Harry out of Hermione's arm with his free hand.

"You be careful, Sirius," Lily said from the couch. "He's only days old, you fool!"

"I've got him, Lils," Sirius assured her, swaying back and forth and humming a song that sounded half like a lullaby and half like an Irish drinking song. He looked absolutely entranced by the little boy, his grey eyes twinkling. "Little Harry... One day, you'll be just like your Uncle Sirius, I can tell now."

Hermione groaned as she took her place on the couch beside Lily. "Let's hope not," Hermione said. "One of you is enough."

"Then perhaps he'll be like James," Sirius mused.

Now it was Lily's turn to groan. "For the love of all that's good and holy, let that not be the case. I, for one, hope he turns out like me."

"Loud, annoying, controlling, and angry?" Sirius quipped.

"No! Smart, considerate, and _rule-obeying_." Lily stood up and reached out for her son. "It's way past his dinnertime. Is there a room I could use, Hermione?"

"Any of the rooms upstairs are fine," Hermione told her.

Lily smiled gratefully and took Harry away.

James walked in a few moments after that and asked, "Where's my wife and child?"

"Your son right now is, essentially, milking your wife like a cow."

"Good Merlin, Sirius!" Hermione gasped. "Couldn't you have just said breast-feeding?"

Sirius shrugged and took a swig from his tumbler.

James chuckled and took a seat in the arm chair as Sirius took lily's vacated spot.

"So, this whole leak thing," James said, his tone darkening a bit. "Any suspicions?"

Hermione shrugged. "I have no clue, honestly. The Dark Lord has said nothing about getting information from anyone in the Order except for me, and I only tell him what Dumbledore tells me to."

"Think Snivellus could be...'going beyond the call of duty'?" James inquired with a dark grimace.

Hermione shook her head. "I know every piece of information exchanged between Severus, the Dark Lord, and all of the Death Eaters. There is no leak."

"Unless..." Sirius said slowly, turning his glass in his hands. "Unless the leak isn't one of the Death Eaters."

Something about that sentence make Hermione's hackles shoot up.

"What do you mean, mate?" James asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I mean, Voldemort doesn't only have Death Eaters. He has all sorts of dark creatures; giants, ogres, vampires..."

"Werewolves," Hermione breathed, finishing the sentence. She immediately started feeling sick and backing away from Sirius. "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying," Sirius said seriously, "that Voldemort is promising the werewolves a better life and better laws once he's in control. And that I've heard you and Remus fighting about his becoming a spy - he's a little eager to join them, don't you think?"

"Sirius, you can't be -"

"I think Remus could be the leak," Sirius growled, his eyes dimming to a dull, slat silver.

Hermione shot up from her seat and hissed, "How dare you..."

"Hermione, don't you see?"

"I see plenty, Sirius Black!" Hermione yelled. "I see your reasoning! But the only traitor among the Marauders right now _is you_!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Your opinion is clouded by your feelings for him -"

"I have never seen so clearly is my entire life!" Hermione snapped. "After everything Remus has done for you - tolerated you, loved you, been a brother to you, saved your life - you turn around and do this to him? What has he done to earn your resentment, Sirius? Even after you RISKED HIS LIFE AND NEARLY EXPOSED HIM he _forgave_ you! HE FORGAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND THIS IS WHAT YOU REPAY HIM WITH? SUSPICIONS AND ACCUSATIONS?! ARE YOU FORGETTING WHO REMUS IS? HE COULDN'T HURT A FLY, LET ALONE HIS OWN BROTHERS!"

James was rubbing his eyes, looking miserable at this turn of events. Sirius looked furious.

Sirius stood from his seat and shouted back, "You don't know what he's capable of, Hermione! Do you even know him as well as we do?! You only know the side of Remus that you've loved since you were a child!"

"Your judgment is the one that's screwed!" Hermione hollered. "Now get out of my sight, you traitor! Or better yet - GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND COME BACK WHEN YOU SEE SENSE."

...~oOo~...

When everyone cleared out of Grimauld Place, Sirius going home with the Potters, Hermione paced her parlor with a very tall glass of whiskey. She thought that she would cry eventually, but she didn't. Her chest just boiled with that anger and she ached to punch something.

She couldn't go to see Remus like this. She was too rash, too angry and if she wasn't careful she could let it out on the wrong person.

Her Floo flared and Hermione gave a jump. Emerging from the fireplace was a very wary-looking Remus.

Hermione hated how Remus felt after a full moon. She knew how much pain he was in, how much his joints aches, and how his muscles burned. It was a monumental effort just to get out of bed and walk.

"Remus!" Hermione said, concerned immediately. "What are you doing here?"

"James Floo'd me and said you've lost your mind," Remus rasped with a small grin. "Of course, I had to see it for myself."

"Oh, Remus, you should be home resting," Hermione said, hurrying over and feeling his forehead and pulse. "You're ill. Lie down."

"Hermione, I'm fine," he said, reaching out and touching her face gently. "James told me what happened with Sirius."

The rage growled from inside her.

"Hermione, he's your brother," Remus said.

"And you're the love of my life," she answered, his voice cracking on the last work.

"He's _family_."

"_So are you_," Hermione said, firmer. "And James. Lily and Harry. All of you are my family."

Remus's thumb smoothed across her furrowed forehead. "Take a deep breath."

"Why aren't you angry?"

"Because he made a very rational, logical accusation," Remus said. "Even if he's wrong, he put together a few pieces of evidence and actually used inductive reasoning."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You think he was being _logical_?! He was the opposite of logical - he was being an idiot!"

Remus just smirked and pulled Hermione into a hug. Hermione's arms curled around his chest, careful not to squeeze too hard.

"You and Sirius are like two sticks of dynamite with incredibly short fuses." Reus stroked her back and said, "You know you have to forgive him, right?"

"He didn't say sorry though!"

"And do you really think he'll apologize?"

"...No."

"Exactly. So, let him feel the way he does, but don't be so hard on him," Remus advised. "Sirius can't live without you... Literally, him living alone would be a disaster. He'd drink himself into oblivion and drown in his filthy socks."

Hermione shook her head against his chest. "I don't want him living here right now. He really made me angry."

"My stubborn girl," Remus chuckled, and then he suddenly tensed.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, pulling back to look up in his eyes.

"Nothing," he said through gritted teeth. He looked in pain. "Just...my back is still bothering me. It...spasms every so often after the full moon."

Hermione yanked her arms away frantically and said, "Do you need anything? Can I brew you a potion? Give you a massage?"

With a smirk, Remus said, "I wouldn't mind the last option, to be honest."

Hermione smiled back. "A massage it is."

...

Hermione collapsed onto Remus's chest, panting. She pressed her forehead to his and the breath falling in and out of their mouths rapidly mingled between their lips, sweat rolling down Hermione's back and onto his legs like little salt water rivers over her skin.

One of Remus's hands wrapped around to her back, the other gripped her hips still. His fingers followed her spine until he found the scars he was looking for. The three parallel lines, all healed over but still bumpy and apparent.

Hermione kissed him hard, a silent forgiveness for those scars he'd graced her with all those years ago.

"I wonder if..." Hermione said, breathing heavily. "If...this...will ever...you know..."

"If the sex will ever stop being sensational?" Remus finished for her with a breathy laugh. "I've been wondering the same thing. I'm hoping not."

Hermione chuckled and nodded. "I agree." She paused and looked at him tentatively. "How do you feel? I know...that you were sore from the full moon and I was _supposed_ to be giving you a massage and then it just got out of control and -"

"Shh," Remus soothed. "Hermione, calm down. I am fine. As a matter of fact, I feel a lot better. Your body is better than morphine."

Hermione blushed and he kissed her nose before turning them over completely so that he was over top of her. His gaze raked down her bare body and the wolf inside him howled for a chance to take her body into his mouth. He kissed the vulnerable flesh of her throat and nuzzled her ear before kissing the spot behind it.

Hermione let out a small half-whine half-purr.

"I love you," Remus said. "So much."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered. In that moment, Hermione ached for a hug, so she threw her arms around him and pulled closed to him, their chests pressed together.

Closing his eyes, Remus returned her embrace and kissed hair.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Who do you think the new leak is? 2. Do you think Hermione will ever let Sirius back into her house? 3. Favorite part and line? 4. How do you think Fabian and Gideon are going to help Hermione get into Gringotts?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	51. Strong Eggnog and Apologies

A/N. Okay, I admit. This chapter is kind of fluffy - but I had so much fun writing it!

By the way, 4.8 kilos is ten and a half pounds, just so the Americans know! You'll know what I mean when you get to it.

Also, I want to add Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine to my While-I'm-Writing Playlist. I...really like Florence, obviously.

The new cover is by a reader! They emailed it to me, and am unsure of their username on FFn, so whoever made it, please PM on here so I can give you credit! :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-One: Strong Eggnog and Apologies

Hermione walked into work that Monday to find a bouquet of fluttering paper flowers and butterflies on her desk in a crystal vase. She was very familiar with the handiwork. In Hogwarts, one of Sirius's favorite ways to show off while simultaneously romance her was send her flittering butterfly notes across the classroom.

"Someone's got an admirer," Alice Longbottom said as she passed the desk, smirking.

"Actually, just an idiotic brother," Hermione said. "Alice, aren't you still on maternity leave?"

The woman nodded. "I just came by to see how Frank is doing. Frank's mother is spending time with Neville, fitting him for sweater vests and outrageous hats, I'm sure. How have you been?"

Hermione shrugged and turned the vase to see every angle of the rainbow paper bouquet. "I've been alright. Sirius has just been less manageable that usual lately."

"Does it have something to do with you and Remus, you think?" Alice asked.

"I don't know if it has anything to do with me and Remus, but he's made it pretty clear how he currently feels about Remus. They've been having some problems." Hermione tried to give a casual shrug. "Boys will be boys, right?"

Alice touched Hermione's hand in the way a mother would. "I know it must be hard. Your brother and the man you love suddenly butting heads, but everything will get better. I promise. And the fact that Sirius is sending you bouquets must mean he's sorry. You should try talking to him."

"Thank you, Alice," Hermione said sincerely. Alice, always so soft-spoken and sweet, with her short brown hair and round face. She was type of woman who just knew what to say.

"Speak of the devil," Alice said, nodding to behind Hermione. "Hello, Sirius. How are you today?"

"I've been better," Sirius said with a dramatic sigh. "Back aches from, you know, sleeping on the couch."

"Oh, please!" Hermione snipped. "There are enough rooms in the Potters' house to house Wizengamot. Don't act even for a moment like you've been sleeping on a sofa."

"Oh, alright," Sirius huffed. "But emotionally, it feels like a couch because it's not the same as being home. I haven't been able to sleep, kitten. It's been hell."

Alice just gave her kind smile and said, "I'll leave you two to talk. See you all soon!" She waved and walked away.

Sirius turned on Hermione with wide grey eyes. "I miss home, Hermione."

"It's been a day."

"And what an awful day it's been," Sirius moaned. "And technically, it's been two nights. Two nights of no bloody sleep. I love Harry - really, I do - but for the love of magic, the kid never stops crying. I don't know how Lily and James do it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So the only reason you want to come home is because you're tired of being woken up by the baby?"

"Marginally, yes. Then there is the fact that Lily makes the coffee far too weak and James has become boring in his old age."

"Don't you mean 'mature'?"

"Boring, mature - same difference. The point is that I want to come back to Grimauld. You can't keep me out forever, you know."

"I've changed the Floo password, all the wards, and the locks. So, yes, I _can_ actually keep you out forever."

Sirius's face drooped into a deep frown. "Don't you miss me?"

Hermione pretended to think about it before shaking her head. "No, not really."

The frown grew graver. "You're brutal. I missed you."

"No, Sirius, you missed your laundry being done from day to day. Whatever did you do without the only pair of boxers you ever wear?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"Going commando is not nearly as fun as everyone claims," Sirius proclaimed. He reached down and scratched his crotch without discretion. "It chafes like hell."

Hermione's face screwed up into a grimace. "Good Merlin, Sirius, have some decency."

Out of nowhere, Sirius's arms were thrown around Hermione and squeezing her for all she was worth. "Please, Hermione, let me back in the house. PLEASE. I need you - I need you like fish need water, like Hippogriffs need dead ferrets, and like you need books. Much longer and I'll die."

"Twenty-four hours, Sirius!"

"That only goes to show you just how much I need you," he persisted, holding her harder as she just wiggled, but there was no room to move. "Two nights, one day, and I've already lost three pounds, lost a whole night of sleep, and lost about four layers of skin around Stubby."

"Do you honestly still call it that?!"

"THAT ISN'T THE POINT."

Hermione sighed and pulled away from his tight embrace to cross her arms. "Why should I let you come home? Give me three good reasons."

"I'll start doing my own laundry, I'll stop having whiskey with lunch, and I'll apologize to Remus."

Hermione almost heard the thunk of her chin hitting the floor. "You're going to actually apologize?"

Sirius nodded confidently. "Yes."

With a deep breath Hermione said, "Okay, fine, you can come home. But only _after _you've apologized to Remus."

Sirius beamed. "Deal. I'm going to take you out to dinner tonight, Whiskers. An apology dinner to you."

"Who's going to be paying for it?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Most likely you. You are the one with all the money, you know. Your house, and everything."

...~oOo~...

"Hermione, I need you to babysit."

Hermione dropped her face to the table in front of her. "Lucius..." she groaned.

"I understand that Draco doesn't particularly..." Lucius hunted for a word "- _like_ you. But you see, we're having our annual Christmas party - which _you_ denied our invitation to - and the house-elves and everyone we know is going to be there and busy. So we need someone to watch Draco for the evening. And since you _did_ reject the invitation -"

"Are you ever doing to let that go?"

" - I figured whatever you must be doing Christmas Eve is a bore, so there's no harm in bringing Draco." Lucius gave a smirk.

"You just want to see me end with bruises and scratch marks from your son," Hermione huffed, stirring her tea. The back patio of Malfoy Manor had a wamring charm cast over it, but Hermione could see the frigid air whirring the frosty branches and the dusting of snow like white icing over the ground.

Lucius gave a formal shrug. "That may be part of it, but I still need a babysitter. So as his godmother, it's your duty to do this."

"So, this isn't a question?"

"No, it's an order."

"You're so damned...ugh." Hermione shook her head and sipped her tea.

As if on cue, crawling from the backdoor was a small boy with a mop of blonde hair and a large rubber teething ring in his mouth. A house-elf opened the door for him and out he came onto the patio, making mewling and gurgling sounds.

"There's my son," Lucius said with a hint of pride. "Where is your mother Draco?"

Predictably, Draco did not answer. The seven-month old was getting longer by the day, it seemed, and his face had rounded out quickly. His eyes were a lively grey and his nose came to a gentle point. He strongly resembled the Draco Hermione remembered.

Hermione, having a fondness for babies, reached down and lifted him up, sitting him on her lap. Draco gurgled some more. Hermione carefully dislodged the magic teething ring, which never popped our got bite marks, and lifted his lip to have a look at the development of his teeth. His bottom two front teeth were pushed through the gums, but still not fully grown yet.

"You're getting to be a big boy," Hermione said in her baby voice. Draco giggled maniacally before reaching out with one of his fat baby hand and gripped a section of her hair to yank. "Ow, ow, ow, Draco!"

Lucius let out a deep, amused chuckle.

Still laughing that high-pitched hiccuping laugh, Draco pulled harder.

Hermione took hold of Draco's wrist gently but firmly and detached him. Draco promptly took his saliva-covered teething ring and chucked it at Hermione's face.

"You will have such a fun Christmas together," Lucius declared with an evil smile.

...

The Order's Christmas party was held in the ballroom that they normally used to duel one another to within and inch of their lives. It wasn't really formal, but there was eggnog, plenty of liquor, decorations, lots of sweets and cakes, and dozens of friends.

When Hermione walked in with Draco on her hip - tugging on her hair again and twisting it into knots - she immediately felt relief that there were other kids there. Lily and Alice both had their sons and Hermione's smile glowed when she saw the array of red heads buzzing through all the adults' legs.

The vision of one red head clutching his mother's skirt and walking wobbly and pigeon-toed almost had Hermione in tears. Ron's hair was everywhere and his freckles were apparent already.

Molly was talking to Lily, discussing their sons, so when Harry looked down from the perch on his mother's hip to the redheaded barely-walking boy below, Hermione's heart melted. Until Harry took the pacifier from his mouth and dropped it onto Ron's head - then she just started laughing.

Hermione couldn't hold back. She walked over and said, "Hello, Lily. Molly. How are you?"

"Lovely, thank you, dear," Molly said with a broad grin. "I didn't know you had kids, Hermione!"

"Oh, he's not mine," Hermione said, scooting Draco higher on her hip. "I'm babysitting for a friend." Draco whacked her hard across the eye.

Lily winced for Hermione. "He'll grow out of that, you know."

Hermione sighed. "Regretfully, something tells me he won't."

"What's his name?" Molly asked.

"Draco," Hermione answered. "It fits him, trust me." Then she felt a weak tug on her trousers and looked down.

Standing there, still unsteady on his feet, was Ron gripping tightly to the fabric on her thighs, looking up at her with the strangest expression.

"He's beautiful," Hermione told Molly sincerely.

Molly smiled proudly. "Thank you. He's one of the biggest of my boys when they were born - Bill is the only one who beat him. A healthy 4.8 kilograms. Thinking of Bill, he's just turned ten and he's been causing quite the ruckus. Excuse me, dears... BILL! B - WILLIAM ARTHUR WEASLEY, WHAT DID YOU JUST PUT IN YOUR BROTHER'S HAIR?!" And Molly was off towards Bill, Charlie, and Percy.

A pair of two year olds sat at the Weasleys' table, pinching each other and stuffing their faces with food. Hermione picked Ron up onto her other hip and sat beside them. Lily, grinning, did the same.

"Hello, boys," Hermione said. "You're Fred and George, right?"

"Yes," the said in perfect unison. Then they pinched each other again.

"What's yo' name?" the left one said in his little boy voice.

"Hermione."

They both stared at her like she spoke a foreign language. The right one bent to whisper in the left boy's ear and they both giggled. Some things, Hermione figured, never changed.

Then she was suddenly preoccupied by a loud yelp from Ron. Draco had, very savagely, bit down on the ginger's hand. Ron whimpered and Draco giggled and Hermione couldn't help but have a strong sense of deja vu.

"Shame on you," Lily told Draco, playing her mother card. "You be nice, young man."

Then Harry whipped out his little arm and smacked it down into Draco's blonde head, making the latter cry out.

Hermione couldn't prevent it any longer, she laughed.

"Looks like you're having a jolly time," a voice said from behind the women.

Hermione twisted her head to find Remus and James standing there with drinks in their hands, both looking very amused.

James patted his son's head and sat next to his wife. "That's my boy. Making Slytherins cry already."

"Don't encourage him, James," Lily quipped.

"He's five months old, Lily, I'm barely encouraging him if he won't remember it two minutes from now, much less understand a word I say," James said, absently trying to push Harry's hair to where it's supposed to be, but it was as stubborn as his.

Remus took the seat between Hermione and the twins, handing her a cup of egg nog. "Remind me again about how Lucius coerced you into watching his son on Christmas Eve?"

"I'd rather not relive the humiliation," Hermione sighed, scooting the two boys on her lap apart so that they didn't harass each other. "He's a terror."

Of course, Draco chose that moment to snuggle up into Hermione's neck.

"He doesn't look so terrible to me," Remus observed.

Hermione huffed and said, "He's just pretending to be good because other people are around. Actually, he's evil. He bit Ron, for goodness sake!"

Lily paused. "How did you know his name?"

"I'm his godmother -"

"Not Draco's. Ronald's. Molly never told you his name - but this was your first time seeing him, right?" Lily looked very curious.

"I, um...heard Arthur talking about him once or twice," Hermione said, rubbing the ginger infant's back lightly. "Must've stuck in my head. So! Where's my brother?"

James and Remus pointed at the same time to across the room. Sirius was surrounded by some Order members' daughters, most still Hogwarts ages, and giggling around him like a flock of owls. Sirius, who usually enjoyed females' attention, looked very awkward being circled by jail bait.

"It's amusing," James observed. "It's almost as if he's had this coming. I hope he gets arrested."

"Moody _is_ here," Hermione said. "And he'd arrest Sirius for breathing wrong." She sipped the eggnog and almost sprayed it out. Lily took a drink of hers at the same time, and actually did.

"Jesus!" Lily cried. "Who made this bloody eggnog?!"

"Hagrid, of course," James reported with a broad smile. "Sirius helped, though."

"It tastes like cough syrup!" Hermione said.

Nodding and drinking his, Remus laughed, "That it does." He didn't even cringe as he swallowed. Men were ridiculous, Hermione thought.

Ron stood up on Hermione's lap and started playing with her hair, while leaning heavily on her shoulder.

"She's like Saint Theresa," Lily said, smiling. "Children just love her."

"Though he is not showing it right now, Draco actually hates me," Hermione said grimly. "He always screams in my ears, tries ripping out my earrings, and slaps me."

"Well, Ron likes you," Lily assured her. "Look. He's being very gentle."

"It's because I have stupid hair," Hermione said morosely. "Babies like it because it feels like a wool blanket."

Her three companions giggled at that.

"Well, I think you're wrong," Lily said. "I think once you have children, you'll see that they love you."

Hermione's heart gave a pang and she fought to keep smiling. While absently straightening Ron's little sweater, she said, "I don't think I'm going to have children. I have too much fun playing with all of your kids - why would I need any?" she teased, brushing a piece of fuzz from Draco's blonde locks. He still didn't have his first hair cut, so his hair was as soft as down.

"Well, of course you'll need some!" James laughed heartily. "You need to repay the favor and make me a godfather!"

"Sirius will take care of that, I'm sure," Hermione joked half-heartedly. Her and Remus were studiously avoiding one another's gazes. They didn't want to talk about kids again, not after the huge issue it caused last they talked. And it still hurt, for Hermione.

"Remus, tell Hermione she has to have kids," Lily said. "I'm sure you're not going to tolerate being childless forever!"

Remus didn't say anything, just looked away and took a long swallow of eggnog.

James and Lily looked at one another. "I think we hit a nerve, love," James said slowly. "We just figured with everyone becoming parents lately that... you know..."

"That we'd follow suit, you mean?" Hermione finished for him. "Well, you know I can't have kids right now with the whole Dark Lord business."

"Yes," Lily answered. "But after the war, surely..."

Hermione handed Remus Ron and said, "I have to go say hello to my brother and everyone." She stood up and switched hips to carry Draco and ducked to kiss Remus's temple. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. "Bye, guys." She waved to Lily and James and hurried away.

...

"What just happened?" Lily demanded of Remus once Hermione was out of ear shot. She narrowed her eyes and scowled. "This is your fault - I can feel it."

James shook his head before Remus could answer. "No, it's probably Hermione's. You know how she is - she has reservations about everything."

Lily shook her head harder. "No, this is woman's instinct. Hermione is like every other young woman on the planet. She wants kids, she wants marriage, she wants to spend forever with the man she loves. But if the man - " she glared accusingly as Remus " - says or does something to get in the way of that plan, well she gets upset. So, spill it, Remus."

The werewolf sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Do we have to talk about this? It's sort of personal, don't you think?"

"So is childbirth, but I let you in the room, didn't I?" Lily retorted.

"Fine, fine," Remus said, bouncing Ron gently on his knee. "I told Hermione that... I can't have kids because of the whole werewolf thing. Werewolves rarely procreate, so its impossible to know if it's genetic."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me she didn't talk you out of that stupid theory? I thought she was the smart one."

"Well, she tried to, but..." Remus took a deep breath. "She made it very clear that one day I _should_ have kids, but it wouldn't going to be with her."

"I don't get it..." James said.

Remus shrugs. "She doesn't think we'll, you know, marry or even get to the point to talk about kids. She thinks end up with someone else because I'll get sick of her or something."

Lily's glare darkened. "Have you said anything to make her think that?"

"No!" Remus said, offended. "Never!"

"Then why's she saying it?" Lily demanded skeptically.

"Oh, goodness, I don't know," Remus said sarcastically, "maybe because she's an impossibly complex young woman at a very unstable point in her life?"

James nodded. "One day in Hermione's brain, I'd imagine, could make drive the sanest of people mad."

"Try one _hour_," Remus added. "I just... I don't know where we stand right now."

There was a long pause before Lily said, "Remus, I really don't think lycanthropy is genetic. If it were, it would be transmitted through semen, and by now Hermione would be infected, wouldn't she?"

"Even so," Remus said, "it isn't something I'm going to risk, because there's no way of telling that for sure." He offered James the spitting Ron and said, "Take him, will you? I've got to find Hermione. I want to give her the gift I got her. I don't want to fight on Christmas."

...

Sirius Black hated Christmas. As a child, it was never any fun because his parents were never home and he and Regulus would have to open their gifts alone. Usually it would be a lot of shiny things that little boys weren't interested in. The only gift he remembered liking from his childhood was his first broom, from his father. He flew around the house and broke a crystal figurine and once his mother came home and the house-elves reported the incident, he got the belt and was locked in his room for the rest of Christmas day.

Then, of course, it was always the time of year for couples to cuddle close and buy gifts and be happy while he was miserable.

The only happy Christmas he remembered having was the Christmas Eve night that he took Hermione's virginity.

But there he was, handsome bachelor at a party, being surrounded by girls who were still in school. Granted, he was barely 21, but these girls just didn't know when to shake off.

Sirius almost fainted from gratefulness when Hermione walked over, baby in her arms, saying, "Alright, girls. Make way, make way. He's much too old for you, and far too perverted."

The girls all reluctantly departed with Hermione's shooing. "Happy Christmas, brother," Hermione said, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Happy Christmas, kitten," he replied. "Thank you for chasing away the junior temptresses. How's the little devil doing?" He nodded towards Draco.

"Perfectly terrible, though he's settled down," Hermione admitted, looking at the blonde boy resting against her breasts.

"Sneaky little bugger," Sirius grumbled, sipping his eggnog. "He just wanted to touch your boobs."

"Sirius, just because you always want to touch my boobs, does not mean seven-month-olds do as well," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius gave a pout.

"But enough about my breasts -"

"Darling, I can never hear enough about your breasts."

"Can you pretend to be a gentleman for two minutes?"

Sirius put on a pensive expression like he was honestly thinking about it. Then he shook his head, "Nope."

"Then, at least hold Draco for me." Hermione held the boy out to her brother. Sirius backed up so fast you'd think she was offering him leprosy.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" he demanded, aghast.

"I need to find Remus and apologize," Hermione said. "We need some...alone time to talk and I can't do that with an infant trying to rip of my earlobes, now can I?"

"Well, find someone else, because I'm not touching him. As Arthur's wife - she's used to masses of midgets in her life."

"He's not a midget, he's a baby -"

"It's the _same_ thing -"

"You hold Harry all the time -"

"Harry isn't Satan's spawn -"

There was a loud throat clearing and they both turned. There Remus stood, hands in his pockets, looking mildly amused at their display.

"Hermione?" Remus asked. "Could we maybe take a walk?"

"I'd love you, Remus," Hermione said, shoving Draco into Sirius's shocked arms. She hurried away, taking Remus's hand and disappearing before Sirius could catch up.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. What do you think Remus got Hermione? 3. How do you think Sirius is going to do babysitting Draco? 4. How do you like all the HP's major players meeting as babies?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	52. Somewhere to Begin

A/N. I am aware of the copious mistakes made in the last part of chapter 51, and I'm sorry. I wrote it when I was in a rush and I didn't look back at it - I'm sorry.

Reviewer **randomlemon **suggested the band Keane for me to listen and wanted to et her know, I HAVE listened to Keane and I love them! I never remembered to add Somewhere Only We Know to my Writing Playlist. :D

This week, I received some incredible fan-art! I absolutely love to see everything you create - never hesitate to PM me when you draw something, even if it's just a scribble!

I just watched the last Harry Potter movie for the thousandth time and, predictably, cried my eyes out. March sat next to me and said, "I hope you realize it is awfully unhealthy to cry EVERY time you watch this movie." I smacked him :D

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Two: Somewhere to Begin

Remus and Hermione found the back porch of the large house, facing out to a large field and overgrown, untended gardens. It was dark out and snow floated down from the stars. Hermione was wearing a green, long-sleeved dress that swished around her knees but offered no warmth.

Remus, without saying a word slid off his jacket and tucked it around her shoulders. Hermione smiled gratefully and they continued to stroll around the plants. It was silent, but not awkwardly so, just thoughtful.

Finally Remus said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I'm not entirely sure, but Lily made it clear I must have done something wrong," Remus smirked, squeezing her hand.

Hermione chuckled. "You didn't. But if we're talking about your genetic lycanthropy theory, there's no reason to apologize. I should be apologizing for just getting up and leaving the table."

"I forgive you," he said with a smile.

"Thank you."

They found and only stone statue in the garden with a mermaid statue in the middle, reaching towards the sky. Normally, the fountain would be filled with water, cascading over the mermaid, spurting from her palms - but the fountain was dry, only half-filled with snow. The mermaid's outstretched hands were filled with snow, as well, like she was dancing under the snowfall or preparing to pack it into a ball and throw it at someone.

They sat on the edge of the fountain and Hermione crossed her legs. Remus placed a gentle hand on her knee and rubber his thumb over it.

"I want to give you your Christmas present," Remus said, "but I think I'm afraid you'll prematurely freak out."

Hermione blushed. "That seems to be my thing, huh?"

"Just a little," he laughed. "But I'm going to give it to you anyway." Remus reached out to the jacket around her and put his hand inside, feeling around.

"Well, goodness, Remus," Hermione said teasingly, feeling him brush her breast, "is this a present for you or a present for me?"

Remus laughed aloud and said, "It's not _that _kind of present." He found the pocket and said, "Close your eyes."

Hesitantly, Hermione obeyed.

Remus pulled out the gift and set it on her knee. "You can open them now."

When Hermione opened her eyes, she found a small velvet box popped open, revealing a silver band that wound into a beautiful knot and had a small emerald gem embedded in the center of the complicated circuit.

"It's a Celtic knot," Remus said. "The two ends of the knot can't be found, because there is no end. The pattern goes on and on forever... kind of like you and me." He smiled.

Hermione's breath was taken away at the beauty of the ring and it's beautiful patter atop of it. She carefully plucked it from its velvet bed and examined it more closely.

On the inside of the band it read in delicate script, "_RJL & HWB_" but instead of a "&" symbol, there was a heart.

"It's..." Hermione breathed, "absolutely perfect." She looked up at Remus with what was surely a smitten, adoring, love-filled look. "_You're _perfect. And I love you, Remus - God, how I love you - and I just... You're incredible."

Remus look faintly sheepish and shrugged. "Well, I try."

Hermione chuckled and Held the ring out to him. "Would you like to put it on me?"

"Always," Remus said, accepting the ring. "Which hand?"

"Left," Hermione said. "After all, I may never get to wear a wedding band. May as well enjoy the closest thing to it while I can."

Not being able to think of an answer to that, Remus took her left hand and slipped the silver ring up her fourth finger to its base.

"Someday, Hermione," Remus said quietly, "I _will _marry you. I'll spend the rest of my life convincing you if I have to."

Instead of responding, Hermione stretched to kiss him full on the mouth.

"Now my turn," Hermione said with a soft smile. She took out her wand and summoned an envelope. She handed it to him.

Remus looked a little confused but opened it, pulling out a...document.

He scanned it, but seemed to be a little dazed. Hermione watched in anticipation.

"Hermione, what is this?" he asked breathily, puffs of white smoke floating from his lips because of the bitter air.

"It is a document that confirms that Mister Remus John Lupin, for the rest of his life, will be supplied with the new tested and fully-functional marketed Wolfsbane potion."

Remus looked floored, trying to hand the paper back. "Hermione, that potion is...insanely expensive. I can't -"

"Yes, you can." Hermione pushed the paper back into his hands. "It's a lifetime supply, already paid for. And even if you wanted to give it back, it's nonrefundable. So, please, take it. It would mean the world to me. This is what you've been waiting for, Remus. I've seen you following their research. You need this. Think about how easy the full moon will be - you'll never have to worry about hurting me or anyone else again."

Remus's hand trembled slightly, and he stared at the paper like it would combust at any second.

"Every month, they'll send the full week's dosage to my house," Hermione said. "And if anything ever happens to me, you just bring this document to the Ministry and they'll change the addresses for you." Hermione reached out to touch his cheek. "You deserve this, Remus. You deserve much more, as well, but for now...this is all I can offer. Please accept it."

Slowly, Remus nodded, but still looked shellshocked. "Hermione, I don't know what to say... This is the most amazing gift anyone's ever given me. And here I was worried it was going to be another blasted puzzle box."

They both laughed and Remus clutched her hand, kissing her knuckles over and over before he caught her mouth with his.

There are times that, in reality, we experience moments like fairytales. Moments where you have the chance to save your loved one from suffering, or hand them a token signifying your eternal bond. Or, on the night of Christmas Eve, finding yourself sitting in an abandoned garden kissing the person you love under the soft fall of snow can be pretty... well, _magical_.

...

Hands clasped together, Hermione and Remus walked back into the party where even more people have arrived. Mistletoe appeared above unsuspecting people. In one corner of the room, Molly set up a play pen for all the kids. The twins had been put in there as well, a charm preventing them from climbing out, so they occupied their time by harassing Ron and Neville.

"I should find Sirius," Hermione said, when she didn't fin Draco in the pen with the rest of the babies. "He probably has Draco."

When she did find Sirius, he was talking frantically to Molly Weasley...without Draco in sight.

"Sirius!" Hermione called out, Remus right behind. She grabbed his sleeve and said, "Where's Draco?"

"I...I don't know," Sirius sputtered. "One second he was there and...the next, he wasn't!"

Hermione flew into undiluted panic. "Sirius, he's seven months old! How could you have lost him?! Draco! DRACO, WHERE ARE YOU!"

Sirius and Remus joined in on the calling out. Hermione even dropped to her knees to crawl and see at the level that the missing boy would be at.

This went on for what felt like forever. Sirius talked to everyone eating, on the dance floor, he interrupted conversations. Remus checked the other parts of the house. The longer he was missing, the more Hermione panicked.

Until she got a small tap on the shoulder when she was in the middle of checking under a table.

Hermione got out and looked up to see Dumbledore, holding a blonde, sleeping boy in his arms. The old man's blue eyes twinkled and he said, "I believe this belongs to you."

Hermione had never been so relieved in her life, taking Draco immediately and snuggling him for all that he was worth. "Where did you find him?" Hermione asked, still giddy with relief.

"It was most peculiar, actually," Dumbledore said. "I found him in the hall to the servants' quarters with this note pinned to his jumper." He held out a small piece of parchment with only one line in heavy black ink.

**If found, please return to Hermione Walburga Black.**

Hermione stared at the note in confusion. "I didn't write that."

"Interesting," Dumbledore mused. "Well, Happy Christmas." And he strolled away.

Feeling very strange, Hermione shook tried to shake off the feeling and hurried to find Remus and Sirius to tell them the good news - and maybe berate Sirius some more for losing Draco in the first place.

...~oOo~...

Hours later, Hermione had returned Draco to his mother and father, and she was in her personal bathroom, brushing her hair and getting ready to go to bed with Remus.

Looking in the mirror, Hermione could not help but feel... happy. She was no longer skin and bones like he was, and had a healthy glow to her skin, as opposed to the sallow look she'd been sporting only months before. Her hair was as unmanageable as it'd always been, and her eyes the same plain brown, but she felt... pretty.

"The party was fun, wasn't it?" she said, raking the brush through her thick hair. "Putting aside the missing child portion of the evening, I found it quite enjoyable."

Appearing in the side of her mirror and the doorway was Remus in only a t-shirt and flannel pants, leaning against the doorjamb with a smile on his face - the smile that wouldn't change in even twenty years, she knew. The smile she'd once seen on one of her professor's faces became the smile she lived for on her lover's.

He nodded. "I agree. Perhaps we should celebrate holidays more often with the Order. It would certainly cheer things up a bit, don't you think?"

Hermione nodded and put the brush down on the sink. She wasn't sure why she even tried. Brushing the mess of it all was impossible, so she started weaving it into a braid. "The kids were all adorable. I'm happy that I got to see them all at least once. I see Draco and Harry all the time, but seeing the Weasleys' kids and Alice and Frank's boy gives me... hope... for the future." She chose each word carefully. She turned to Remus and smiled. "Just think. The future of the wizarding world lives between their tiny, dimpled hands."

"With those Weasley twins running loose," Remus said, "I find myself quite scared about that statement."

Hermione laughed, because she knew what he meant best. "I think there's more to them than you think. They'll grow up and before you know it, they'll be saving the world."

"Hopefully by then the world won't need saving."

Hermione's smile softened. "I hope the same."

Remus took the step towards her and took her left hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the silver ring and knuckle. "Happy Christmas, Hermione," he said.

"Happy Christmas, Remus," Hermione said, stretching up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him.

They spent the next ten minutes snogging like silly teenagers, giggling and moaning and keeping their hands almost determinedly above the waist. Remus led her back into the bedroom and carefully laid her back onto the bed, hovering over her and kissing all of her face in the way a devotee would kiss a sacred statue, with reverence and love. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the warmth spreading over her like a hot wave of wind.

Remus carefully began pealing the camisole up away from her stomach and over her head, slowly and deliberately. His hands rested on her hips when he bent down to kiss her naval, making her gasp when instead of moving higher as she predicted his next kiss went lower, trailing until he made it to the drawstring of her sleeping shorts. He'd began rolling the shorts downward when Hermione let out a gasp - but it wasn't of please.

It was pain.

Hermione grasped her forearm, feeling the urgent burning of the Mark slithering on her skin.

"Hermione?" Remus asked, sitting up and looking down at her, worried.

"He's...calling," Hermione said, sounding ashamed as she stood up and pulled her shirt back on and yanking up her shorts. "I have to... uh..." Hermione frantically rubbed at her lips, hoping to erase any evidence of their very thorough kissing, and patting down her hair as she hunted around for her jumper, but the burning grew stronger.

"I've got to go. No time." Hermione kissed Remus once, quickly in a hard goodbye and flicked her wand, disappearing from his sight.

Remus laid back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. He couldn't prevent the frown from drawing down his face. A happy Christmas, indeed.

...

Three hours later, Hermione popped back into Grimauld - directly into her personal bathroom - feeling slimy everywhere and grossly defiled. She quickly started ripping off her clothes to stuff in the hamper and took a shower where she savagely scrubbed every inch of herself until she was pink and raw.

She walked into the room, wrapped in a towel, tip-toeing so Remus didn't wake up. But when she entered the room, she found that her precautions were for naught. Remus sat up against the headboard, a book in hand, looking like he'd never closed his eyes.

Hermione looked at the clock. It was two o' clock in the morning.

"You haven't slept," Hermione said, not a question, just an observation.

Remus slowly looked over and gave a confirming nod. "I found that sleep evaded me this evening." She gently clapped his book shut and set it on the bedside.

Hermione could see the hurt in his eyes, the dent in his pride, and what looked to be shame. It was a look she rarely received, because normally she planned out her evenings very carefully to avoid any "crossfire". She didn't want to get caught up in the moment with Remus only to be summoned like a puppet - it was one of her biggest fears.

But that's exactly what happened that night.

"A new necklace?" Remus said, forced-conversationally.

Hermione looked down to the glowing red pendent around her throat and promptly ripped it off, tossing the gift onto the dresser and walking to the bed. She sat on the edge and looked at Remus.

"Remus, I am infinitely sorry," Hermione said with a hint of desperation. "You know that if it were up to me, I'd have been here with you. I'd only _ever_ be here with you, if it was my choice."

Remus nodded. "I know. I'm not upset with you, Hermione. You have a duty."

His voice was like ice and it made Hermione's eyes sting. "Then..." she whispered, "what's wrong?"

Remus's cold expression brown into a frown. "I'm just...faintly disgusted right now."

His words hit Hermione like the back of Walburga's hand against her cheek. "Oh..."

"I'm not sure if I could... touch you right now," Remus said, almost sounding bemused himself. "It's not you that disgusts me, far from it, but...I'm not sure I could touch you right now, knowing what _he_ was doing to you only moments ago. While I sat here in your bedroom like the poor idiot who got cheated by a man who has no clue he's even cheating me."

Hermione knew what he meant. She'd anticipated this. She knew it must have deeply wounded Remus every time she was summoned - because the agony and guilt she felt was, too, unbearable.

Standing from the bed, Hermione nodded. "I understand, more than you could know. I'll just...sleep in the guest room." The words hurt to say because she would die right then if it meant she could be held by him. She ached for him to wrap around her, embrace her, and tell her everything would be okay.

The fact was, though, that nothing would be okay.

Shaking his head, Remus made to get off the bed. "No, Hermione, this is your bed. I'll sleep in the guest room."

Hermione reached out to stop him by gripping his shoulder, but she stopped herself. He said so himself, he didn't want touch. So instead she just held out her hand to halt him.

"No, Remus," she said firmly. "This... is _our_ bed. Half yours, half mine. You will sleep here, and I will sleep elsewhere. Alright?"

Knowing that fighting would be useless, Remus just nodded, and sat back again.

Strolling to the door, still in a towel, Hermione's heart was breaking. She didn't want to spend anymore time in the room, even to get pajamas, for Remus's sake. "Goodnight," she said quickly before leaving the room, pulling it shut behind her.

When Hermione walked towards one of the spare rooms, she heard the distinct sounds of sex came from behind Sirius's door. It only made her mood worse, but entered the guest room where she collapsed naked onto the bed and cried.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Who do you think was the person who pinned the note to Draco? 3. What do you think will happen between Hermione and Remus? 4. Who did Sirius shag tonight? Hehe!

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	53. A Christmas to Remember

A/N. To those who message me every single tiny error in the story... fanfiction is for FUN people! It's not life and death! It's just a hobby, and frankly you're taking the fun out of writing it. I slow down in my writing process when I get snarky messages detailing every flaw of the story. **I ACCEPT criticism, NOT flames**. Fact is - flaming is rude, much like the internet trend of trolling.

I, personally, do not get as offended as **most** people do (more frustrated because then I don't feel like writing), but in general, even on other stories, have the common courtesy to realize that fanfiction is NOT A PUBLISHING COMPANY AND THAT IF I'M NOT MAKING MONEY, I'M HARDLY GOING TO SPEND EVERY WAKING MINUTE TRYING TO MAKE IT PERFECT. Also, fanfiction writers DO put a lot of work into their stories, so there's no reason to hurt their feelings.

So to reviewers with the "I'm-Smarter-Than-JKR" attitude, chill out. This isn't a novel. This is a story on the internet. Not real life, not canon.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Three: A Christmas to Remember

It had taken Hermione forever to fall asleep, and she woke up only two hours later, while even the house continued slumbering. She'd climbed out of the guest bed and decided she needed to talk to Sirius. She didn't care if that meant interrupting his hanky-panky.

She started off by knocking on his door. There was no answer. Hermione pressed her ear to the door. No noise, at all. They must have been sleeping. This was good,

Hermione slowly and carefully opened the door. She winced at the slight creak of the hinges, but there was no sound of movement. The room was dim and there were two shapeless mounds on the bed.

When Hermione got closer, she realized that the girl in the bed had hair the color of wheat, all strewn over the pillow and covering her face. Sirius slept on his back, one hand bent up next to his head and the other resting on his chest. Their bodies were covered by comforter, so Hermione was unsure if they were still naked or not.

Hermione perched herself on the edge of the bed on Sirius's side, leaning over him and lightly tapping his shoulder. "Sirius," she whispered. "Sirius, wake up."

Sirius did not respond.

Hermione bent forward more to whisper closer to his ear until he started to rustle awake. Sirius, hearing his name, mumbled and let out a short moan, his body wiggling and reluctant to fully wake.

"Sirius," she whispered, "I need to talk to you. I need brotherly guidance."

Sirius grumbled, his eyes still closed, "Whattaya want?"

"I need to talk to you about Remus."

"Talk to L'ly," he mumbled, trying to turn over and away from her.

"Lily wouldn't understand me the way you would," Hermione said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Please, Sirius. I'll do anything that you want for Christmas."

"I _want_ sleep."

"And I _need_ to talk to you. If I don't get some advice, well... let's just say Remus and my relationship are hanging in the balance. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

Sirius sighed and rolled back onto his spine. "Isn't that kind of what you do? Hurt men?"

"That's not funny, Sirius."

"No, it's not. You used me, didn't you?"

"You used me, too!"

"That's irrelevant. Fact is, at one point in our lives, you knew how deeply in love I was with you, and you acted like nothing was different - which hurt me more, as a result. Hell, you're even cheating on You-Know-Who. You've got quite the record, darling," Sirius yawned.

Hermione glared. "You aren't helping, you know."

"Well, you're the one who woke me up from the first sleep I've gotten in weeks."

With a sigh, Hermione looked over to the girl, examining closer to see if it was someone she recognized, but the face was completely obscured by silky, wvay locks.

"Who is that?" Hermione.

"Cadence Bones," he answered.

"For the love of all that's magic, Sirius, her parents _just_ died this year!" she hissed, wanting to smack him. "How old is she, anyway?!"

"Seventeen, of course," Sirius said. His expression dropped. "Wait... that _is_ the legal age, right?"

Hermione wanted to smack herself in the face with her palm. "Yes, Sirius, but that doesn't make it right. Please don't tell me you took the girl's virginity."

"Definitely not," Sirius vowed. "I've only ever deflowered you, my love."

"Don't make me ill," Hermione whispered, standing from the bed. "Seeing as you are determined to be of no help, I'm going to go brew some coffee and make your least favorite breakfast in the world."

Before she could walk away, he snatched her hand. His face was suddenly solemn as he said, "Remus is in a very confused place. And so are you. Whatever happened, I'm sure you both were somehow at fault. What you need to do is apologize to one another, kiss, make love, and then everything will be better again... that is, until the next argument comes along and you can repeat the process."

Hermione sighed. "I feel like all any of us have been doing lately is apologizing."

"It's because we're all fuck-ups, kitten," he said with a shrug. "Now, in exchange for my spectacular advice, I'd very much like French toast for breakfast, with whipped cream and berries."

"Well, you're not getting it," Hermione said. "We're supposed to go to James and Lily's to open presents with Harry in a couple hours... Will Cadence be accompanying you?"

"Nah," Sirius said. "I'll be kicking her out soon enough."

"Poor girl," Hermione said, pityingly. "She probably acted out because of her parents' death, hoping she'd find comfort in a man who she thought was charming and gentlemanly, only to be kicked to the curb like yesterday trash."

Sirius glared. "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

"Perhaps. Is it working?"

Sirius sighed. "A bit. Maybe... maybe she should come have breakfast with us. It's the least I can do. She's all alone for holiday - her younger brother and sister opted to stay at Hogwarts because they didn't want to go to a home without their mom and dad for Christmas."

Hermione gave a pause. "You seem... sincerely concerned. Are you feeling alright? Have you come down with something?"

"I must be," Sirius said, feeling his own forehead. "I sound like I actually care, which is terrifying."

"Or, maybe, you've just come down with a case of Sensitivity."

"I hope not," Sirius grimaced. "I hear its a bitch to get rid of."

...~oOo~...

The Potters' house smelt like everything you associated with the winter holidays and Christmas morning. Cinnamon, bacon, pine needles, and snow. lIly was in the kitchen, putting together a large breakfast while Harry sat in his highchair, mauling a bowl of scrambled eggs with his little fists. James sat next to Harry, looking half-disgusted by the mess and half-adoring. It was a look only a parent could manage.

When everyone walked in, Lily said, "Everyone, please take a seat at the table! Breakfast will be out in a minute! Hermione, could you maybe lend me a hand?"

Hermione thought this was an odd request, because usually when Hermione asked if Lily needed help, the redhead would freak out and shoo her away. But still she nodded while Remus, Sirius and his guest all shuffled to the dining room. James did the same, lifting Harry, grabbing a filled bottle for the baby, and joining his mates in the dining area.

Lily faced Hermione once everyone was gone. "What the hell is going on?"

"Happy Christmas to you too, Lily," Hermione said dryly, reaching to stir a boiling pot, but Lily slapped her hand. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You and Remus are avoiding eye contact, have stayed five feet away from each other since you've walked in, and Sirius has a very young girl here. What in the world happened last night?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

Hermione sighed. "Remus and I are... in a weird place. As for Sirius, he slept with the seventeen-year-old Bones and feels awful so he decided to be decent for once and not kick her out."

Lily digested this. "Interesting. Now, tell me exactly what happened with Remus?"

"Lily, is that really your business?"

Lily whipped the towel she had over her shoulder to to smack Hermione's shoulder. "Of course it's my business! I am your only female friend, of course!"

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Alice is my friend! And you're not a very good friend - you've hit me twice in the last three minutes!"

"Now, either we can make that a hat trick or you should bloody well tell me what's going on." Lily's scowl was fierce as she slowly went to turn off the stove and start taking out plates.

"Last night, Remus and I were..." Hermione's voice trailed off. She'd never been able to openly talk about her intimate life before, especially not with another woman. She was private, after all. These things were personal.

"Shagging?" Lily said, as if it was nothing.

Hermione glowered. "No, we hadn't gotten that far quite yet. We were...well, we were snogging, and things were getting... intimate... when I was summoned."

Lily's lioness expression softened into a doe-like frown with big green eyes. "Oh, how awful. That must have been devastating. What happened?"

"Well, I went of course! I had to! It's not as if I can ignore that fact that my arm's on fire, but when I got back, Remus was still awake and... he looked so sad, Lily," Hermione said, squeezing her eyes shut at the memory. "Like I'd broken his heart. I probably did. He said that he wasn't sure if he could touch me right then, but I understood of course... I wouldn't have wanted to if I were him, either. So... I slept in the guest room." She shrugged.

Lily's emerald eyes were glistening with tears.

Hermione's eyes widened. "What are you getting worked up about?"

With a small sniffle, Lily wiped under her eyes and said, "I'm just so... _sad_ for the both of you. It must be horrible to be you, Hermione. And poor Remus probably can't decide what to feel, and you must be so... ugh!"

Shocked at Lily's onslaught of tears, Hermione hesitantly reached out to rub her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Lily. We'll work this out."

"But what if you don't?" the other woman cried, dropping her head into Hermione's shoulder. "What if this is the end? It can't be the end, Hermione!"

"Merlin, Lily," Hermione said, godsmacked. "Shouldn't _I _be the one blubbering and being comforted?"

"Shut up and hold me," Lily commanded, her voice breaking with a sob. Hermione obeyed, patting her back and letting her friend cry. "You're just like our family, you and Remus! If you broke up, who would James and I be friends with?"

"Sirius and Remus, still," Hermione told her. "I would just have to stay away for a while, to avoid hurting Remus's feelings or mine anymore."

"I don't want you to stay away!" Lily said, squeezing Hermione tighter.

"Lily, do you have your period by any chance?"

Lily wailed, "_Yes_!" Which made her sob some more.

This was going to be a long Christmas.

...

Christmas morning at the Potters didn't turn out as bad as Hermione thought. Once Lily quit sobbing, the food was great and everyone had a good meal - although it was awkward for everyone to have a girl they didn't know at the table, but Cadence was courteous and polite and laughed at the boys' jokes.

Once they got to the gift-opening, things got silly. They sat Harry up in his pillow chair and put a present in front of him, which Harry stared at blankly like he was saying "What am I supposed to do with this?"

The rest of them watched on, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, James said, "I knew it was silly to wrap all his gifts. He's five months old, for magic's sake."

Lily sighed. "We're showing our age right now, aren't we?" She covered her eyes, "Oh, God, I'm a young mother! I have no clue of the protocol for first Christmas!"

Harry reached out and everyone gasped, leaning forward in anticipation. They're gasps unfolded into sighs when all Harry did was pick up the small box and start sucking on one of the corners.

"Maybe... we should just open all of them?" Remus suggested. "We aren't going to get very far at this rate."

"A jolly good idea, mate," James said, standing up and going to the tree. He picked up a half dozen presents and then started handing them to each of his guests. "On the count of three, we all rip them open. One... two... three!"

Giggling like little kids, they all tore into the presents and examined all of the infant toys and gadgets. Harry had a wonderful time watching his family act like children and at the flurrying of colorful paper.

As the day went on, Hermione noticed something very interesting in Sirius's eyes when he looked at Cadence. It wasn't lust and it wasn't annoyance, but a fondness - he was far from in love, but there was respect there which Hermione was pleased about.

Hermione hesitantly nudged closer and closer to Remus while Sirius and James raced on their brooms and when Harry played. She did it so gradually that if took three hours to sit up next to him again. By that time it was lunch and they were making plans on how they would spend the rest of Christmas. They decided some ice skating on the pond out back would be fun, with Harry sitting on the sidelines with Cadence - who couldn't skate - of course.

The pond was frozen solid, there was no chance of falling through anywhere. Remus started off by sitting with Cadence and Harry and his camera. He took a picture of baby Harry clapping his hands in Cadence's lap.

On the ice, Sirius was skating circles around Hermione literally, who was a slow skater, and taunting her mercilessly. Lily and James were holding hands and gliding along gracefully, James spinning his wife and always moving to catch her if she stumbled any.

Eventually, out of nowhere, Sirius barreled into Hermione, catching her around the waist and lifting her skates off the ice as he did figure-eights. Hermione laughed and demanded he put her down. Remus snapped a pictures of the moment.

Sirius eventually set Hermione back down and skated over to Cadence and said, "There are an extra pair of woman's skates in the house. Why don't you put them on and I'll give you a quick ice skating lesson?"

The girl blushed and shook her head fervently. "I-I couldn't," she stuttered. "I'll fall on my arse!"

James guffawed from out on the ice. "With Sirius as your teacher, you most certainly will!"

"Shut up, Prongs!" Sirius shouted back. "Come on, Cadence, it will be fun. I won't let you fall, alright?"

Hesitantly, Cadence stood and nodded. She went back to the house to get the skates and came back. Hermione and she traded spaces.

While Sirius held both of Cadence's hands and skated backwards while trying to get her to go forwards, Hermione sat with Remus and Harry in the snow. Harry was bundled up like an eskimo, wearing a thick hat, four layers of clothes, and little baby snow boots.

Hermione lifted him from Remus's lap into hers and bounced him gently. Remus silently snapped a picture.

"Hermione," he said finally, "I'm very sorry about last night... or, rather, this morning. It was inexcusable, I was rude and selfish, and ego-bruised. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I had a low moment and wrongly blamed you for it."

"I forgive you, Remus," Hermione whispered, looking at her feet. "I forgave you hours ago, actually. I'm sorry as well."

"You have no reason to apologize," Remus said. "You were only doing your job."

Hermione sighed and leaned into him. "I still feel bad."

"Don't." Remus kissed her hair. "You did nothing wrong."

"Thank you," Hermione said, then looked back out to the skaters. Cadence was slowly going along, and needed to hold onto Sirius's sleeve to manage even a few feet, but most of the time she clasped the back of his coat and he would drag her along. "I'm happy Sirius is treating a girl nicely for once. Christmas miracles do happen, I guess."

"Maybe she's The One," Remus commented.

"Goodness, I hope not. He's much to old for her."

"I guess four years is a bit of a gap, eh?" he said.

Hermione smirked, because if he'd only known that she once lived in a world where he was twenty years old than her, he'd have swallowed his tonsils. And that's before even letting him know he'd been her professor.

...~oOo~...

On New Year's, only an hour or so before Hermione and Remus planned to head out to the Diagon Alley fireworks, Hermione received a note.

It read:

_Our Dearest H, _

_Please meet us at the pub in three days' time to discuss a few things about your latest duty. We have some news we must share. _

_Sincerely, _

_F & G_

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. What do you think Fabian and Gideon's news is concerning Gringotts? 2. What do you think will happen with Sirius and Cadence? 3. Favorite part and line? 4. How do you like a PMS-ing Lily?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	54. The Heist

A/N. Hi everyone! The other day I went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway - one of my biggest dreams since I was small! It was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! I cried like a baby of course (I do that a lot with movies, books, and plays).

Also, to reviewer GredandForge, I absolutely LOVE Of Monsters and Men, they're one of my favorite bands and Little Talks is incredible :) I'm glad we enjoy the same music!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Heist

"Gringotts is closed one day a year."

Hermione cringed. "Let me guess - that day has passed and won't come again for another year?"

Gideon let out a deep chuckle. "Actually, it's about a week away. It's some goblin holiday - their version of Christmas, I believe. That would be the ideal day for your... retrieval of whatever object you need."

"Call it what it is, brother," Fabian said, stretching out in the booth. "A heist."

Hermione sipped her butterbeer and said, "Any recommendations on how to get in?"

"I don't just have recommendations, love," Gideon said, a broad grin stretching across his face. "I have a foolproof plan."

"Really?" Hermione asked brightly, leaning forward. "What is it? I'll take notes." Hermione started digging through her purse for parchment, but Gideon held up a hand.

"No need," he said. "Fabian and I are going in with you."

Hermione's eyes widened. "No! You could lose your job if we're caught, Gideon! Why do you want to come?"

"Well, there's a lot of things at Gringotts that only an employee can get into," Gideon said. "So I have to come and, well, Fabian and I are kind of a package deal."

"Have been since birth," Fabian said, grinning.

"So you're stuck with us."

Hermione frowned.

Fabian said, "Don't look too excited about it, Hermione, you might strain something."

"I don't want you two to be put in harm's way for a task that is mine," Hermione said. "It isn't your responsibility."

"As if that's ever stopped us before," they said in unison, with identical smiles.

...~oOo~...

When Hermione arrived at home, she found Remus and Sirius sitting in the parlor, on the floor, across from one another at the coffee table. In front of them were a scattered array of photos and an album. They seemed to be bickering about how the pictures should be grouped.

"By person," Sirius said.

"Chronologically," Remus protested.

"You're such girls," Hermione said, walking in and looked down at their mess. All over the table were pictures of Christmas, the images dancing around. "Anyway, Remus is right, they should be organized chronologically. By person makes no sense."

"Told you," Remus said, commandeering the photo album from Sirius and beginning to slip the pictures into the pockets.

Hermione sat down on the floor next to Remus and looked through the photos. She found one tucked behind a picture of Lily and James that looked like part of her sweater and when she pulled it out, she smiled.

It was a candid picture of she and Remus, obviously they hadn't known anyone had a camera at that moment, or even that anyone else was around. She remembered the moment, actually. She and Remus were in the backyard standing under a bare, snow-frosted tree, their lips locked in a tender kiss. One of Hermione's hands was on his shoulder, and one of his rested on her hip.

It immediately became Hermione's favorite picture because one rarely got to see what one looked like when kissing someone they cared for, but now Hermione could see that when she and Remus touched lips, they radiated love, affection, and belonging.

"I'm keeping this one for myself," she said, putting it to the side. "I want a special frame for it."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "Remus already called dibs on keeping it before you got here."

Hermione smirked at Remus. "Great minds think alike, I suppose." She kissed his cheek and leaned her head on his shoulder as the three of them put the pictures into the album together. They laughed over the images and talking about how James was still so smitten with Lily, the same way he's always been.

"So, Sirius, how's Cadence doing?" Hermione asked once they found a picture of Cadence slowly skating along and holding onto Sirius for balancing, her arms waving unsteadily.

Sirius's smile dropped a little. "She went back to school today."

"You look... genuinely unhappy," Remus observed. "What's wrong?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, I spent a whole week with her and I got used to her being around, is all."

Hermione smiled. "Aw, you like her."

"As a friend," Sirius said.

"Sirius," Remus said in his lecture voice, "you and I both know that you are lying. You like Cadence, but you're so conflicted with the war and how your past relationships have ended that you do not want to put your heart on the line yet again, feeling as if you'll only be disappointed in the end."

Sirius grimaced. "Get out of my bloody head, Moony."

"I wouldn't enter your head if I was paid all the galleons in the world. I just know you."

"You're not all right, anyway," Sirius said. "I just don't want to get involved during a war - my past experiences with love has nothing to do with it."

"Are you talking about me?" Hermione asked, the regret settling.

"Not _only_ you," Remus said, never looking away from Sirius.

It took a moment, but Sirius's eyes popped way open. "You _know_!"

"Of course I do," Remus said confidently.

"Know what?" Hermione inquired, completely lost.

"If you tell anyone -" Sirius said.

"Your secret is safe with me," Remus cut in, holding his right hand up. "I promise. I won't tell even Hermione."

"I don't like how you're talking about me when I'm sitting right here," Hermione groused.

Remus kissed her temple. "I'm sorry, darling, but I can't exactly explain. Maybe someday Sirius will tell you himself."

"Unlikely," Sirius said quickly. "So don't hold your breath."

"This is all very suspicious," Hermione observed. "But Sirius can't keep secrets from me for very long, so I'll just wait."

"Hermione," Remus said, "he's been keeping this one for years, so I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Sirius glared darkly at Remus. "I hate how perceptive you are. It's fucking unnatural."

...~oOo~...

"Two ginger twins and a sexy brunette rob a bank..." Fabian mused. "Sounds like the start of a good joke. Gideon, come up with a punch line."

"Fabian, if you don't shut up, I will punch-line you in the bullocks, understand?" Gideon hissed under his breath.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This method of robbing Gringotts was new to her. They were behind the building in a dark alleyway, and Gideon was trying to open the employees' entrance in a way that wouldn't notify the building that he was entering. Gringotts's building had flesh memories - it was a good tactic to identify anyone trying to break in.

Like them.

But Gideon was a curse breaker, this kind of stuff was par for the course in his line of work. He knew how to get past wards and precautions to enter thinks like pyramids and caverns and... banks, apparently.

Gideon stood at the back door, hissing incantations under his breath at the door, his wand glowing with each word. Hermione couldn't quite hear what he was saying, but just waited, trying not to fidget. She fiddled with the strap of the bag she had.

Finally, Fabian seemed to lose his patience. "Step aside, brother. If we're heisting, we're going to do it correctly. _Bombardo mazxima_!"

Hermione was suddenly pushed to the ground as half of the wall exploded and crumbled. Once the crashing of the wall stopped, Gideon lifted himself from shielding Hermione and punched his brother in the face.

"You idiot!" Gideon said. "Now the alarms are going to go off!"

Sure enough, a shrill whistling started from all over the building.

"The Aurors will be here any minute," Fabian said, kicking through the rubble and entering the large hole. "Don't touch the walls or anything - the building will remember us if we do."

Gideon looked absolutely furious, but followed in after. Hermione, instincts kicking in, ran after them.

The three Order members were running down the back halls of Gringotts, careful not to touch anything with bare skin. The piercing whistle of the alarms continued, giving Hermione a splitting headache.

Gideon led through the curse breaker offices and to a random hatch in the floor. He kicked it open with the toe of his boot while Fabian quickly summoned three pairs of gloves and handed a pair to each of them. As long as they didn't anything with their bare skin, their identities were safe from the building.

"Sit on your bum and slide," Gideon said, holding the hatch open for Hermione.

"But... what about the carts?" Hermione asked, slowly sitting at the start of the pitch black tunnel downward.

"This is the staff's way of getting around the vaults. It'll take a little longer, but easier than trying to manipulate those bloody carts without a goblin. Now slide!" He shoved her and down she went.

Hermione shrieked. The tunnel was slick and made of dirt - she slid fast. The tunnel took her around sharp turns and random loops, all in the complete darkness. Hermione didn't stop screaming until she finally saw light. When Hermione made it to the end, she tumbled onto the drier dirt, somersaulting forward and landing flat on her back with a large "oof!".

Right behind her came Fabian, who's landing was about as graceful as hers, only at one point she think he may have kneed himself in the throat, followed by Gideon who emerged and stood up like it was nothing.

Gideon said, "If we weren't in the middle of something incredibly illegal, I'd laugh my arse off at you two right now."

Fabian gave his brother a thumbs-up. "Good to know, brother. Now help us up.

A minute later, they were back on the feet and the move.

"That tunnel was closest to the Lestrange vault," Gideon said. "I'm glad you told me who's vault it was that we're breaking into, because it's very difficult to find on this level - maximum security. I told old Frank, our resident dragon keeper, that I'd do his rounds for him. I slipped a bit of heavy amount of sleeping potion into the Lestranges' dragon's dinner. It should be out like a light by now."

Hermione silently thanked the powers that be. She could not handle flying that dragon again. She lost about three years of her life span last time.

Finding the vault was difficult, like Gideon had promised. The good news was that the Aurors wouldn't be able to get into any of the vault levels to look for the intruders without the goblins around. So for now they were in the safe zone.

In order to get in the vault, a sizable river had to be crossed, there were two more small tunnels to get through, and a gate to climb.

But once they sneaked around the slumbering dragon and made it to the huge, brass vault door, Hermione nearly panicked. "Gideon! How are we going to -"

But Gideon was already pulling something from one of his many pockets. In it was a key and a...

"Merlin, brother, is that a hand?!" Fabian demanded, looking just as shell-shocked and repulsed as Hermione felt.

"A lesson in the goblin's anatomy," Fabian said as he used the key to stick into the door and twist. "Even after a goblin's death, their body continues to store a great deal of very ancient and powerful magic. It's the reason why a lot of very dangerous potions include goblin ingredients, and why the selling of goblin hands is very illegal. But I just so happen to know a bloke in Nocturn Alley who was willing to cut a deal with me. Cost me more than I care to admit, but we needed it."

"So... that hand once belonged to a goblin," Hermione said, swallowing back the bile that threatened to come up.

Gideon gave a sad nod. "Yeah. I reckon he was probably dug up and it was cut off." He pressed the small, long-nailed and wrinkly hand into the door and the workings of the door started tumbling like clockwork until it popped open.

Inside the vault reminded Hermione of the cave in the story about Aladdin, thousands of treasures all shining around them for the taking.

"Don't touch anything," Hermione said, entering slowly.

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "How did you know about the multiplying charm?"

"A hunch," Hermione said, stepping carefully. She looked up where she knew Hufflepuff's Cup to be...

But it wasn't there.

Hermione gasped. "It's not here!"

"What do you mean it isn't here?" Fabian demanded.

"It's supposed to be right there!" She pointed at the perch that was supposed to hold the Cup. "Look around for a golden goblet, one that doesn't have jewels on it."

The men and her stepped carefully around everything, hunting for the right Cup, but every goblet they found wasn't the right one. Hermione was getting frustrated, and finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't there.

"We better get out," Hermione said, rubbing her forehead. "Without the Aurors seeing us."

Gideon sighed. "That's going to be harder. The only way out is the way in, or cart. So first we'd have to climb back up the tunnel and up to the offices, but they're probably crawling with Aurors by now."

Hermione bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Um... I have an idea. The Black family vault is somewhere around here, right?"

Gideon nodded. "Not far, actually. It has pretty intense security, too."

Hermione went into the bag of emergency things she had and pulled out her key. "I have my key, you have the hand... let's stay in there for the night and I'll send my brother a Patronus to visit the vault tomorrow morning and get us out the old-fashioned way."

"But the goblins will know we'd been in the vault all night and then we're caught," Fabian said.

Hermione smirked. "I borrowed this from a friend. I'd suspected it would come in handy." From her bag she retrieved none other than James's Invisibility Cloak.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Oh no! Where is Hufflepuff's Cup? 2. Who is it that you think Sirius was in love with that Remus is keeping a secret? 3. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	55. Pawns or Prophecy

A/N. **JenniferLupinBlack**, you are the only reviewer who guessed where the cup was! Congratulations!

In this chapter we mention the Prophecy and for those who are hardcore Potterheads know that Sybill Trelawney made it in 1980, and now it is 1981 in my story, so it's close to a year late. I apologize greatly, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.

We are honestly coming down to the wire, guys. I am so nervous about the scenes I'm going to have to write soon. It may take me a day longer to punch out the more intense chapters, but I hope you all hold in there with me. We are inching closer and closer to the end.

I'm nervous just thinking about it.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Five: Pawns or Prophecy

The next morning, the news was going crazy about the break-in at Gringotts. Hermione sat with the rest of her Marauders around the Grimauld kitchen table, all of them poring over copies of the Prophet.

"Did you really have to blow up the entire back wall?" James asked skeptically.

"Don't look at me!" Hermione said, offended. "That was Fabian's fault! Gideon was trying to get in without causing any ruckus, but Fabian has a shorter fuse than his brother and... well, this happened."

On the front page was a picture of the large hole in the back of the building, a bunch of goblins scurrying around in a panic observing the explosion site. It was an impressive gap in the brick.

"They're suspecting an inside job, what with the dragon being drugged," Remus said. "I'm assuming Gideon had something to do with it?"

"He took the old dragon keeper's rounds the night before, but Gideon says the guy is a bit... well, he's very old and doesn't remember much anymore. His name is Franklin and they already interrogated him - the man doesn't remember anything being put in the dragon's food an he doesn't remember Gideon taking his rounds for the night. We were fortunate," Hermione said, holding the paper in half and setting it to the side. She sipped her coffee and stretched her back. Her spine was screaming at her for sleeping on the floor of the Blacks vault.

"You were _very_ fortunate last night, weren't you?" Sirius said, sitting back. "Do you have any bloody clue of how the Cup got in our family vault?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Hermione said, shrugging weakly. "But Dumbledore said only an hour ago himself that it's authentic."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius said. "When did you see Dumbledore?"

"Just after my shower, I Floo'd to this office for ten minutes, why?" Hermione asked, stirring in more sugar to her coffee.

"You didn't ask if I wanted to come."

"Why would you want to... Oh! Right! You would have liked to visit Cadence. I'm sorry, Sirius, I wasn't thinking."

Sirius frowned but shrugged. "It's alright. I'll take a trip to Hogsmeade on one of the weekends to see her."

"Oooh," James cooed teasingly. "Padfoot is in _looooove_. A pedophile, yes, but still in love!"

"I am not! She's of age!" Sirius said for what felt like the thousandth time. "And I'm not in love, you ponce. We're friends."

"I haven't seen you this smitten since you were snogging Hermione on a regular basis," James chortled.

"We never snogged regularly," Hermione protested. "They were all fairly broken apart."

"Whatever," James said, rolling his eyes. "Same difference. But Sirius has the worst record. He loses his virginity to Gertrude and Glutton, then he goes around kissing his sister, and now he's snogging a schoolgirl. Shall we all take this moment to point and laugh at our dear Padfoot?"

Remus smiled. "I think we shall."

Even Hermione joined in as Remus and James pointed dramatically at Sirius while cackling. Sirius just glared and accepted the ridicule, continuing to eat his cereal.

"That felt good," Remus said.

"Shut up, Moons," Sirius answered.

James cleared his throat. "Now, tell us, how is Cadence in the sack?"

"I do not want to hear about how my brother defiled a teenager!" Hermione said, clapping her hands over her ears.

"Do you want the truth?" Sirius asked, ignoring Hermione's protests. He smiled and shook his head. "She was so incredibly average." Sirius started laughing, but not mockingly, but just a genuinely happy laugh.

"Why are you happy about this?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Sirius chuckled and shrugged. "I appreciate her innocence, is all. She's a sweet girl. If she was great in bed at that age, then that just means she gets around and Cadence is too kind for that."

Remus smiled. "Sirius, you actually sounded mature there for a moment."

Sirius grimaced. "Really? Oh, no, that won't do. Whiskers, quick! Tell them a story about something outrageous and childish I've done."

Hermione looked up from her coffee and said, "He once went in my room and organized every piece of my clothing by level of 'sexiness'."

"There was a shockingly large amount of things on the 'fit for a nun' end of the wardrobe," Sirius said. "But that's not good enough, think of something else!"

"You set the refrigerator on fire once."

"Not good enough."

"You did a handstand on the roof to see if the constellation Andromeda actually looked like our cousin from that angle, but you fell over and off of the roof, and changed to a dog mid-air because you thought that they landed on their feet. I saved you, of course."

"That will do," Sirius said.

"You realize that it's _cats_ that land on their feet, right?" Remus said.

"Well, _now_ I do."

...~oOo~...

A few weeks later, Hermione and Sirius babysat for Andromeda. Their older cousin and Ted were having a date night, and romance was very difficult when Nymphadora was running loose. The girl broke vases and crushed flowers and always talked loud enough so that the entire neighborhood could hear her.

"I don't need a babysitter!" Nymphadora said, stamping one of her feet.

"You're eight years old," Sirius said, folding his arms across his chest. "That's hardly old enough to be left alone."

"I'd be fine," Nymphadora boasted, her nose stuck up in the air. Her hair was a very bright red at the moment.

"How about I give you ice cream and you sit down and read like a good girl?" Sirius offered, desperate for the night to be over already.

"Reading is stupid!" Nymphadora proclaimed.

"Now, Nymphadora -"

"MY NAME ISN'T NYMPHADORA!"

"Oh, yes, that's right, what is your name today again?" Sirius asked.

Nymphadora pouted. "My name is Katie."

"Sorry, kid," Sirius said, "but your name can't be Katie. It's a very normal name and our family doesn't _do_ normal names. How the fuck do you think I got the name Sirius?"

Nymphadora turned to Hermione. "He just said a bad word. Mummy says that if Sirius says bad words when I'm around, then you'd take care of it."

With a sigh, Hermione walked across the room and smacked Sirius upside the head. "Ouch!" he hissed and Nymphadora gave a giggle.

The eight-year-old was a very long-framed girl, gangly, and skinny. It was a no wonder she was so clumsy right now, with feet too big for the rest of her, but Hermione knew she would carry this trait into adulthood - perhaps it became habit after a while.

"Where's the other man that's usually here?" Nymphadora - or Katie, whatever - said, looking around.

"James?" Sirius asked. "Or Remus?"

Nymphadora's eyes lit up. "Remus, that's his name! He always gives me chocolate."

"Definitely Moony then," Sirius said. "I would give you chocolate, but I reckon it isn't the same."

"Where is he?" Nymphadora asked again.

"He should be here soon," Hermione said, fighting off the pang of jealousy in her chest. _She's eight years old, for Merlin's sake! _"He's closing the book shop tonight."

Nymphadora smiled and sat on the sofa. "I'll wait for him, then."

"Is that all it takes to get you to sit down and be quiet?" Sirius asked, eyebrows risen almost to his hairline. "Just letting you know Remus is coming over? What's so special about him?"

"A lot of things," Hermione sighed to herself. She said louder, to Sirius, "She's a young girl, and Remus is a very kind man who treats her as his equal and not a baby - like you do. So of course she's going to like him."

Sirius looked over to where Hermione stood anxiously in a corner, arms crossed. He took in her stance and body language. He stood from the couch, content to find Nymphadora coloring in one of the books she brought, and walked up close to whisper to Hermione. "What's wrong with you? You're always like this when we babysit."

Hermione still had the nagging feeling like she was taking something from Nymphadora Tonks, something the girl didn't even have yet. It was unnerving and planted a deep set guilt in Hermione.

"I'm fine," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I'm just not feeling well. Do you mind keeping an eye on her while I put on some tea?"

"Sure."

Minutes later, Hermione had both arms propped on the counter, leaning forward and bracing herself as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. A headache was coming on, and it was a big one, slicing straight through her skull. It was starting at her neck and creeping upward and outward.

She mentally willed the kettle to boil.

Hermione almost screeched when a pair of arms came around her waist. She did, however, jump almost a foot in the air and gasp.

"You're skittish," Remus said, one hand massaging the inside of her hip and and other skimming up and down her side. "Is something the matter?"

Hermione shook her head and took a deep breath. "Just a headache."

"You've been getting a lot of those," Remus whispered. "Do you think you could be ill?"

Hermione answered, "No. I've just been a bit overwhelmed. Dumbledore has been looking for a safe space to cast Fiendfyre to destroy all of the Horcruxes, but he hasn't found anywhere suitable yet - I'm just anxious for this all to be over."

"Soon it will be," Remus assured her. "And this will all be nothing but a dream... a nightmare, actually. James and Lily can raise Harry in peace, Sirius can admit his feelings for Cadence and we... we can move along. And it's all because of you. I'm so proud of you, love." He pressed a kiss to the space right behind Hermione ear and she hummed.

Hermione leaned back into Remus's body, reveling in the warmth he gave off. He continued to press kisses to her neck until the shrill whistled of the kettle filled the kitchen and Hermione hurried to take it off of the burner. Remus helped her get down cups from the cupboard while Hermione retrieved the milk and sugar.

"Did you see Nymphadora?" Hermione asked, not looking him in the eyes. "She was eager to see you."

Remus chuckled. "Yes, I did. She's a good girl, but she practically crashed into me when I came in. Enthusiastic, I guess you could call it."

"Yes, enthusiastic," Hermione agreed.

"She absolutely hates Sirius."

Hermione laughed at that. "I know! It's hilarious! Children detest him! Even Harry gets easily annoyed with Sirius."

"Do you think it's something they'll grow out of?" Remus asked.

"I hope not," said Hermione. "It's far too amusing."

...~oOo~...

Severus sat silently in his chair, his hands folded neatly in his lap. Hermione sat across from him. As always, his chambers were cold and drafty, creaking sounds made from thin air all around. It was the perfect scene for someone like Severus Snape to be sitting in an arm chair made of dark wood and rich fabric, the fire behind him blazing.

Hermione shifted in her seat, crossing her legs.

"Peculiar..." Severus hummed.

Hermione said, "I know. That's why I've come to you. Has he said anything to you?"

"I'm afraid not," Severus admitted. "But, remember, Dumbledore is a manipulative old man. He may be withholding informations purely to make you wary. The same way he had the Order on their guard by claiming there was a spy among us."

Hermione felt her eyes grow. "Wait... he lied?"

Severus scoffed. "Of course he did. Didn't he tell you? There wasn't any leaking of information, and no spy - apart from you and me, that is. He was using mind tricks to make us all cautious."

"For a man who preaches about love, he sure is callous," Hermione mumbled, stirring her tea absently. "But that still doesn't explain why he's saying I cannot destroy the Horcruxes yet."

"It may be a matter of strategy," Severus considered. "Right now, the Dark Lord is out of the country for an indeterminable amount of time. If we were to destroy the lot now, he would panic, and become more dangerous, possible lashing out. I can understand that we would need to wait until we knew when we were going to trap him and, as the Muggles say, 'seal the deal'. He's more vulnerable that way - destroying most of his soul just before executing him."

"I still don't like it," Hermione murmured. "I don't like this at all."

"You don't have to like it," Severus told her. "Dumbledore is the king and we are the pawns. We move as he likes, and only counter our opponent when advised."

"That doesn't sound very Severus Snape."

"Hermione, I have been a pawn the majority of my life," Severus said, lifting his tea. "Trust me when I say I know how to play this game."

"Then how does the board look for now?"

Severus sipped his tea and pondered this. "Our opponent is ready to send in reinforcements. He still has important pieces on the board, but for now, we have the king in Check."

...~oOo~...

The Dark Lord was out of the country for more than a month. Harry grew more and more every day, as did Draco. Hermione grew more paranoid and Sirius became more on edge. Even James's mood was souring and Remus's full moons worsened. Lily was snappier than usual and Severus grew more somber, saying even less than usual.

The entire Order became this way, the general air thickening and dimming. It was as if everyone could sense a shift in the world - as if everyone could sense the beginning of something dangerous.

Mid-April the Dark Lord returned to England.

It was the first day of May that Sybill Trelawney made her first prophecy:

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... But if the Traveler's task comes to its close... Then these words are for naught..._"

And so the Prophecy which had been Harry's became hers. Hermione was the Traveler.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. How do you think the Cup got in their family vault? 2. What do you think is going to happen, now that the Prophecy has been made? 3. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	56. The Trust

A/N. A bit of a delay, I was doing some babysitting for a family member and had no access to a computer all night, unfortunately. But, please forgive me! So the plan is coming together - will Hermione truly be able to change history?

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Trust

Dumbledore's office was stuffed with nervous people. It was a very secret meeting, only a few select Order members in attendance. The Potters, the Longbottoms, and Hermione and Severus stood in the room.

Hermione and Severus stood behind the couples, towards the back. It'd become habit to do so, to try not to be noticed. It was hard not to notice Hermione that day, though, because she had a very large black and blue over her eye. She'd run out of healing salve at the house and didn't want to bother Lily for any - it was pretty humiliating in the first place.

Severus looked bored as he normally did, but there was a tenseness to him as Dumbledore spoke to the two couples. As Dumbledore spoke on, they each clutched their children a bit closer, their shoulders growing more rigid.

"... so, you see," Dumbledore said, "the Prophecy's details fit both your sons. That is why you are here. We must hide both of you so that Voldemort cannot find you."

"I'm a bit confused," Alice confessed, bouncing Neville who'd been growing more wiggly and annoyed. "If You-Know-Who doesn't know about the Prophecy, where's the harm? That's how prophecies work, after all, they only come true if one acts on them."

"I have given Severus and Hermione the permission to inform the Dark Lord of the Prophecy," Dumbledore said.

Lily and Alice, in unison snapped, "What?!"

"We have a plan, you see. A plan that was actually constructed by our Hermione Black."

Both couples spun to Hermione, who became instantly very awkward. Lily did a start at Hermione's face.

"Whiskers," James said before Lily could. "What happened to your face?"

"That is unimportant," Hermione said, stepping forward and in front of the couples. "My plan is to hide both of you - though, to be honest, we're only really concerned about Harry. Not because Neville isn't important, Alice, but because the Dark Lord has already made it clear that he thinks Harry is the one with the power to vanquish him. And the way prophecies work is that the Dark Lord gets to choose to whom the words apply to.

"The Dark Lord is furious about the Prophecy, and ready to act out. He's become nearly... unstable. He is feeling more dangerous. But he still doesn't know that we have a secret weapon. I cannot divulge the nature of our secret weapon quite yet, but it's exactly what is needed to bring the Dark Lord down for good.

"The plan goes like this. We hide you, and I become your secret keeper. I then can go before the Dark Lord and pretend to betray you. I will tell him that you are at a location that you are not and find out when he plans to attack. The night he strikes, the Order will be waiting for him at the venue that we chose and we can end this for good.

"The Dark Lord will undoubtedly go alone at first, but once he's dead, his followers will follow. It will be our final battle, I imagine. We can end this, all in one night, and have the element of surprise and familiarity of the terrain on our sides."

It was silent for a spell until James said, "We trust you, Whiskers."

Frank nodded, hand on his wife's shoulder. "We trust you, as well."

Lily added, "You're the only one we trust enough with our son's life."

"When do you think this will all be happening?" Alice asked.

"That is, unfortunately, the one advantage the Dark Lord has for now," Severus said, stepping forward. He took his place at Hermione's shoulder. "We have the setting and surprise, but he possesses the power of time and the will to change it. The date could be near or months away. For now, he is making preparations and summoning his troops."

"He does not think this will be a difficult task," Hermione said. "Eliminating two twenty-one-year-olds and a baby sounds easy as breathing, he thinks. But he's willing to start an all-out war over it, ready to massacre any town or city. He is prepared to make this the end."

Lily took a deep breath and held her baby closer. Hermione could only imagine how difficult this was for her. To know your family, you child, was targeted by one of the most powerful wizards of all time... It had to hurt.

When Dumbledore's meeting concluded, every waited their turn to use the Floo, but Lily handed James the ten-month Harry and said, "I'll be home soon, I want to talk to Hermione."

James nodded, and he Floo'd away.

"Hermione, would you mind getting lunch with me?" Lily asked, taking Hermione's hand in hers.

Hermione nodded and squeezed the other woman's hand. "I'd love to."

...

At the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione and Lily sat across from one another in a booth, deep in the pub, towards a corner. Hermione was picking at her food, but didn't have the stomach to eat any of it. Lately, she hadn't been eating much of anything. Sirius had been harassing her about coming down from the library for meals.

"Hermione, I need you to be honest," Lily said. "What will the outcome of this all be?"

"Well, Lily, I can't know for sure, but I think -"

"No, Hermione," Lily said firmer, looking Hermione directly in the eyes. "I think you _can_ know for sure."

Hermione hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think you know a lot of things that you haven't been letting us know about," Lily said slowly, but not accusingly. She reached across the table and held Hermione's hand again. "Hermione, I know your secret."

Hermione's heart made a one way trip down to her feet. "What... secret?" Hermione asked, trying to stay calm.

"Hermione, do you remember when we hated one another?" Lily asked with a small smile.

Hermione, even in her shocked state, snorted. "Of course I do."

"Do you remember when we fought about Mandragora and its properties when Sirius was writing a paper for Potions?"

Hermione had to really dig through her memory, but answered, "Slightly... why?"

"Do you remember when you said Vincent Corkwatch did the research on the Mandragora properties and the myth of it causing hypersexuality?"

"Well, he did," Hermione said.

"Yes, he did... only a year ago." Lily went into her purse and pulled out a small, cut-out article from a magazine. "This is an article about Corkwatch's experimenting with Mandragora in _Potions Weekly_. I have a subscription, and this only was released a year ago. So, Hermione, if we have been out of school for a little more than three years... and you told me about this research in our Seventh Year... how can that be possible?"

Hermione felt like every bone and muscle in her body froze and she forced herself to swallow.

"And then it all made sense," Lily said, folding the article and putting it back in her purse. "How you dropped out of the sky at thirteen, having no life before that. How you seemed so sure that Harry would be a boy. I did my own research and I decided the only possible explanation was that you were a Seer or from the future - but you've never spouted any prophecies, so I made the conclusion that it was the latter.

"I'm not angry with you, Hermione. I was sort of pissed at first, but I got over it, because all you've ever done is keep my husband and the men he sees as brothers safe. So I never said a word to anyone, even James," Lily went on. "And I do trust you. But I need to know how this ends, this Prophecy. In the future... are James, Harry, and I alive?"

"I don't know anymore," Hermione croaked out. "I... I've changed everything... s-so much that I... I just don't know anymore. I used to, but now..." Hermione swallowed. "Let's just say, right now we're in better shape that before I... arrived."

"So, you've been preparing for this?" Lily asked.

"It's the reason why I came here," Hermione admitted. "To assure that none of this will ever happen again."

"But... why would it happen again?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I can't tell you, but... trust me when I say, worse things could happen if we don't play this right."

"I meant what I said in Dumbledore's office," Lily said. "I trust you with my baby's life. Oh, and by the way, once this is all over, I want to know all about your past life and what it was like. It's not every day you meet someone from the future."

...~oOo~...

Hermione was brewing some healing salve in the kitchen when Remus came over. It was a Saturday, and Sirius was probably still in Hogsmeade, but she knew Aberforth would let him use his Floo when Sirius was ready to come home.

"That smells like a healing solution," Remus said as he walked in the kitchen. "Is someone hurt?"

"No, I just want to get rid of this." Hermione pointed to her eye.

Remus's eyes widened at the black surrounding her light brown eye. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Hermione said as she stirred it twice more and then took it off the of burner. She set a timer to let it cool.

Remus sighed. "You said no more secrets."

"It isn't a secret," Hermione said, looking away from him and cleaning up the ingredients scattered across the counter. "I just don't want to talk about it. It's pretty pathetic, really."

Remus walked over, took Hermione's chin in his hand, and turned her face up and towards the light so he could examine the wound. "Who hit you?" he demanded firmly.

"Remus -"

"Just tell me, Hermione. Which of the Death Eaters? Was it Bellatrix, or was it a man?"

"If it was a Death Eater, I would have done something about it," Hermione said, pulling away. "I am the highest ranked, they couldn't touch me if they wanted to."

"It was _him_, then, wasn't it?" Remus said with a quiet sharpness.

Hermione paused, but nodded. "Yes. It was him. He wasn't... happy, when we delivered the Prophecy. He's been becoming for erratic and behaving strangely. Normally, I would only ever think he'd turn his wand on someone... never would I expect him to hit me."

Remus simmered with a swelling rage. Hermione could see it in his eyes - he was furious.

"Remus, I'm okay, I've gotten worse," she said, touching his elbow.

He shook his head. "You need so stop going to him."

"Remus, I can't."

"Yes, you can," he growled. "You need to stop answering when he summons you. You need to go into hiding."

"Not at this point in the game," she said firmly. "Too much is riding on my position in the Death Eaters. This is almost over, Remus."

"It doesn't matter!" he snapped. "Severus can take over spying duties - you need to stay the hell away from him, Hermione!"

"I have..." Hermione took a deep breath and started over. "I have given up too much to be where I am. I have been through more than you know. I've been Marked and beaten and tortured." She looked up at him, a new determination in her eyes. "I will not let all of that be for nothing - I won't let the sacrifices Severus has made be for nothing. I will see this through, whether you like it or not."

Shaking his head, Remus had no idea how to respond to that. The wrath was right beneath the surface, though, whispering dark things. The full moon was creeping closer, the Wolf getting getting more intimate with his mind.

And right now, the Wolf was growling, _Mate hurt... Mate harmed by male... Revenge, must, revenge... other male must die..._

Trying to shed the Wolf's influence, Remus shook his head yet again, harder this time.

"Remus, are you alright?" Hermione said when an immeasurable silence stretched between the two of them. Hermione could see the emotions flashing across his face: Hurt, anger, struggle for control, conflict...

"I'm fine," he eventually ground out, rubbing his brow. "Full moon is coming up. But I digress -"

"Remus, you don't look well."

"I'm fine, Hermione -"

"Please, Remus, let me -"

"I SAID I WAS FINE, GODDAMIT!" Remus exploded. "STOP THE INFERNAL MOTHER BEAR ROUTINE FOR ONE FUCKING MINUTE, WILL YOU?"

Hermione paused. "Have you taken your Wolfsbane today?"

"I don't usually take it for another hour or so," Remus, glancing at the time. He braced a hand against his head, recovering from the outburst that wasn't totally his, and more the Wolf's.

"Once you take it, you'll feel better," Hermione said, going to the stash she had in her cabinet. She took out a flask and brought it to Remus.

Gently, he pushed her hand away. "I have my own at home. I can take it myself - you aren't my keeper, Hermione. You're my... God, I'm not entirely sure _what_ we are. 'Girlfriend' doesn't seem to fit, but 'love of my life' is a bit melodramatic and difficult to fit into everyday conversation. Regardless, you're not supposed to act like I'm your charge or like I'm... Sirius, for Merlin's sake." Remus took a deep breath and said, "I think I'll go now."

"Will you be having your transformation in the usual place?" Hermione asked before he could leave.

Remus turned to Hermione with soft eyes. "Hermione, I don't need you hovering nervously over my transformations any longer. You've given me a wonderful gift... but I won't be your hindrance anymore." He strolled towards the Floo.

But Hermione had enough of this. All the arguing and then stalking out on one another, the dramatic exits - on both their parts - and the neglecting to just talk things back.

Marching into the parlor, before he could grab a hand full of Floo Powder, she exclaimed, "REMUS JOHN LUPIN, I LOVE YOU, and you are going to get your arse back in the kitchen and we are going to have a conversation like ADULTS instead of two angsty, hormonal TEENAGERS. NOW!"

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Do you like or dislike Lily? (I'm liking her more as we go on.) Were you shocked when you found out she knows? 3. What do you think of Hermione's plan? Pros and Cons?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	57. Why I Love You

A/N. I am so nervous about getting into the intense stuff that I've, again, stalled by writing a semi-fluffy chapter. At the end, I promise something interesting.

Haven't done one in a while, so here's my disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the wonderful things birthed by JKR's brain. We bow down to she who holds the pen and power which created Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Why I Love You

Somehow, and Hermione wasn't entirely sure how, the serious conversation between she and Remus became a serious conversation between she, Remus, and Sirius.

Remus and Hermione had been at a pivotal point in their talk when Sirius strolled into the kitchen, whistling one of his favorite drinking songs, when he saw his sister and friend looking pensive and severe.

Naturally, he took the liberty of joining in. Mostly, he sat back and drank butterbeer while observing Remus and Hermione's back-and-forth. At first, for the quarreling lovers, it had been very awkward with Sirius as a bystander, but despite their efforts of getting rid of him, he made it clear that he was there to stay.

So the conversation went on.

And the results... well, they were pitiful, really. Nothing was solved, except maybe that they came to the conclusion that they completely disagreed on a number of things. Important things. Their future, children, her spying, his offer to be a spy, marriage, living arrangements...

Sirius watched this, and once it came to a close, all he said was, "Wow. How did you two fall in love in the first place?"

Remus and Hermione exchanged a look.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you obviously don't agree on much -"

"That is a more recent development," Remus pointed out. "Hermione and I agreed on a lot of things before we became active in the war."

"It's true," Hermione said when Sirius looked doubtful. "Work habits, politics, books... We were almost the same person, really."

"Yes, but what made you fall in love?" Sirius said, crossing his arms. "None of those things sound very romantic. What made your heart race, your skin flush, your toes tingle?"

"Well, that's easy," Remus said. "The first thing that made me really pay attention to her was her smell."

Sirius's nose wrinkle. "No shit you're having issues if the entirety of your relationship is based on her odor!"

Remus shook his head and looked at Hermione. "He's being incredibly frustrating."

"You're not exactly cooperating either," Sirius said. "Okay, apart from her scent and her fondness for a good textbook, what made you love Hermione?"

"Her heart," Remus said. "I loved... how when she started something, she submerged herself. She was passionate and intelligent."

" 'Was'?" Sirius questioned.

"_Is_," Remus said snappishly. He was getting tired of Sirius's games.

"And how about you, Hermione?" Sirius asked. "What about Remus put heat in your knickers?"

The first image that popped into Hermione's mind startled even her...

_"Remus!" Hermione called out, smiling widely. _

_Hearing his name, Remus instinctively turned around to see two of his best friends. The girl with long, bushy brown hair and front teeth only a little too big was waving at him excitedly, and pulling away from her brother to hurry toward him. Remus walked towards her in long strides as well, grinning, to meet her in the middle. _

_When they clashed, Hermione gave Remus the biggest hug she could manage on the tall boy. Remus returned the tight embrace, holding her to his chest and lifting her and inch from the ground as she laughed. _

_How she'd truly missed her best friend. _

Hermione smiled at the memory of one of their many first days back to Hogwarts, when they were reunited on Platform 9 3/4 after a long summer apart. The memory was one she often used when conjuring a Patronus - it filled her with happiness and warmth.

"Whenever we were apart, I'd miss him desperately," Hermione answered Sirius's question. "Even when we were thirteen. I just... missed him so much. Even when it was only time to go to bed, and I knew I'd see him in the morning, I would still wish I was with him. I fell in love with him... because he was my best friend." She looked over at Remus, who looked back with the same softness, and reached out to hold her hand.

Sirius grinned slowly. "If all those things you said were true... then don't you think pushing through any argument, disagreement, or war would be worth it?"

The couple paused before Remus snorted, shaking his head. "Did Sirius just play therapist with us?"

Hermione laughed as well. "I'm still getting over the fact he just gave us relationship advice!"

The two laughed hard, so much that their stomachs hurt while Sirius sat there with a pout - but on the inside, he was still beaming with satisfaction. Mission accomplished.

...~oOo~...

Voldemort was still out of the country, but Hermione couldn't shake the thought that trouble was coming at her like a meteorite, hurtling towards her without any way to control it. Realistically, she knew the time frame which Voldemort would choose to attack the Potters, and it was a matter of months away, but the feeling remained.

So Hermione spent as much time as possible with Harry. She snuggled him and babysat as much as possible for Lily and James, and when she finished work at the Aurors office, she would go straight to the Potters'. Harry grew what seemed like every day and Hermione loved that she could witness such changes.

Being with Harry sometimes made her homesick for older Harry and Ron, but the homesickness never lasted. The moment she looked into those glittering green eyes, Hermione knew that her Harry was right in front of her - just in a slightly smaller package.

She also avoided arguments with Remus as all costs. When they were together, she tried her best to make it special. Remus must have been feeling the meteorite hurtling thing, too, she thought, because he was making the same efforts. He brought her flowers and wine and became more spontaneous than the usual Remus.

Spontaneous meaning a random suggestion for a night trip to the beach for a walk or to drop everything and make love on the kitchen table.

Hermione could tell Sirius was feeling more paranoid as well. He visited Cadence quite a lot and spent as much time with Harry as Hermione did.

And one night in Hermione's live-like-you're-dying streak, she found herself alone with her brother and she asked herself...

How long has it been since you did something, just you and Sirius?

Even though they shared a house and career, a fork had divided what used to be a synchronized life. It'd always been she and Sirius, against the world, but then they started growing up... And it became Hermione and Remus, and Sirius and an uncountable amount of women.

Sirius was throwing darts at a floating, moving bull's-eye - Hermione hated that, she was always worried he'd take someone's eye out - when Hermione walked in and said, "Sirius, let's go out tonight."

Sirius paused only a moment and looked to his sister before chucking the next dart - he missed completely and hit the wall. "But isn't Remus coming over?'

"He's going to see his parents this weekend."

"And you didn't go with him?"

She hesitated. "I didn't want to formally meet his parents as... whatever it is I am."

"As his girlfriend?"

"I suppose. But I didn't want to - not until the war is over and I feel like I can properly call him my boyfriend," Hermione hedged. "But that's beside the point. When was the last time you and I did something, just the two of us?"

"Um... shag?"

"See! Isn't that awful! We're siblings, for goodness sake, and the last thing we've done just the two of us was have sex a year ago!"

"That sentence has _so_ many things wrong with it."

Hermione glared at Sirius. "Please? Don't you want to spend time with me?"

Sirius sighed dramatically before saying, "Fine, what is it you want to do?" There was a smile cracking through his mock frown.

"I was thinking we could do something that you like," Hermione answered.

"Hmm... well. I've always wanted to try Muggle bowling... but I don't know how to play."

Hermione beamed. "That's an easy fix. I'll teach you! Come on, I know just the place!"

...

Sirius was an awful bowler, as it finds out. The concept of the game was completely lost on him, and he often cheered when his ball went in the gutter, earning him several strange looks from the other patrons. He also bowled like a four year old, squatting down, cradling the ball between his hands, and swinging it three times like a pendulum between his legs before releasing it to go either too slow or too fast down their lane.

Hermione wasn't a magnificent bowler, either. Last she went bowling was the summer she'd convinced Ron and Harry go with her and Ron was very much the same as Sirius. It must have been a pureblood thing. When Arthur found out that the Golden Trio had gone on a Muggle adventure without them, he'd been exceptionally upset and Hermione promised to take him some day.

Though, Hermione never had, and made a mental note to take the Arthur she knew in this timeline bowling - to make up for the promise to a man she'd never meet again.

"Look! Hermione! I knocked down a pin! What does that make my score?"

Hermione looked at her scorecard. "Three."

"Brilliant!"

"Would you like anything to eat? Pizza, hotdog?"

Sirius considered this. "I think I'll have pizza. Ooh! Do they have that bubbly stuff that's really sweet and makes my stomach gurgle?"

"You mean soda? Yes, they do," Hermione said, smiling. "I'll get you some. Wait here. _Right_ here. No moving."

When Hermione came back, she found Sirius talking to two Muggles wearing clothes very fit for the late-seventies. One was a girl - predictably - but Hermione was shocked to find the other was a boy. It wasn't every day Sirius went out of his way to talk with a guy he didn't know - women, yes.

"Hermione!" Sirius said upon her return. "This is Oscar and Emily. I've just asked them if they wanted to join our game."

"That sounds great!" Hermione said. "Pleasure to meet you both. It will be an easy win for you both - I'm out of practice and Sirius is downright awful."

The couple laughed and they resumed their game. Emily was an excellent bowler, with very precise form, and when Hermione asked, it found out that she played for a team. Oscar was average, still managing to hit twice as many pins as Hermione. Sirius carried on with being terrible at the sport.

They all sat around after Emily won the game, chatting and drinking soda.

"So," Emily said, "how did you two meet?"

"She just sort of dropped into my life," Sirius said.

Oscar and Emily laughed when Hermione rolled her eyes. Hermione said, "We're brother and sister. I'm adopted, though. Obviously, a family resemblance is lacking."

"Do you have any other siblings?" Oscar asked.

"Just one, a brother," Hermione said, crossing her legs. Sirius draped his arm around the back of Hermione's seat, leaning into her gently. "We haven't talked to him in a while though."

"It was a very dramatic falling out where our mother killed our father and Hermione here was accused for it," Sirius said very casually, a smile on his face.

Hermione elbowed him hard in the ribs. "He's kidding, of course," she said hastily, seeing their companions' expressions. She shot a dark glare at Sirius.

Luckily, Oscar changed the subject. "Is... is that a_ tattoo_?" he asked, pointing to the ink peaking out from Hermione's sleeve.

Quickly, Hermione pulled down her shirt to her wrist, covering the Mark fully once more. "Um... yes, but it's rather hideous. I regret every getting it."

"That's too bad," Emily said. "Oscar's got one on his back, of a peace sign."

Their conversation went onto more frivolous things. Hermione could see Sirius enjoyed the reprieve of talking to other humans about something that wasn't war-related. It was a nice little escape, for the both of them.

Oscar and Emily gave Hermione and Sirius their address - since they discovered that the latter pair didn't have a phone - so that they could write.

As Hermione and Sirius left the bowling alley, Sirius took his sister's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for going out with me tonight. It was a lot of fun."

Hermione hugged her brother tightly and said, "No, thank _you_. For just... being you. I haven't said it in a while, but I love you, Sirius. You are so much more than a brother and best friend."

Sirius kissed her hair and said, "I love you too, Hermione."

...~oOo~...

When Hermione dropped into her place of summons, she found herself in a large suite and with one look outside she could tell it was Italy. The penthouse was littered with large, extravagant bouquets and massive heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.

This was the classic abusive boyfriend moved, Hermione realized grimly. There was the honeymoon, the calm before the storm, the explosion, and now the apology. The cycle would start once more and Hermione hated it - hated that she had to play into it, like a brainwashed girlfriend who doesn't have the courage to leave her manipulating boyfriend.

Sure enough, there was the Dark Lord standing in the center of the room, holding a single flower. It was a peculiar flower, with a deep purple-bluish color and long petals. It reminded Hermione faintly of a tiger lily, only vastly different pigmentation and the petals were shaped a little differently.

He held it out to her, his normally cold face looking like that of a kicked puppy's. Hermione tried to make it look like she was falling for the act, using a monstrous effort not to roll her eyes and kill him right there.

"This is is called the Hermione Lily," he said. "It was created just for you by an herbologist friend of mine."

Hermione accepted the flower and smelt it. It had a pungent odor, like a heavy syrup and old lady's perfume. "Thank you," Hermione said, trying to sound neutral.

"I am apologizing, Hermione," Voldemort said, putting on his sincerest tone. "It was wrong of me to hit you - more than wrong, it was disgusting of me."

Hermione couldn't help but think that he'd done much more disgusting things to her, but she stayed silent.

"I promise, I will never do it again," he said. "I was very angry and I wrongly took it out on you."

He was hitting every cliche of the abusive boyfriend, it nearly made Hermione sick.

"So... will you forgive me, darling?" he said, sounding hopeful.

Slowly, Hermione nodded and murmured, "Yes."

The Dark Lord smiled and stroked Hermione's face. "Thank you." He bent down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. "Now, I've bought some wine and chocolate. Care to join me?"

As if "no" was ever an option.

...~oOo~...

A/N. You can find Hermione's flashback in Chapter 5: Another Box, the very beginning.

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. How do you like Sirius pretending to be a Muggle? 3. Are you surprised that Voldemort apologize, or you figured that he would play the classic abusive man's actions? 4. What do you want to see happen in the next chapters before the battling resumes?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	58. Between Sleep & Awake

A/N. New additions to The Last Marauder's Playlist -

Have Faith in Me by A Day to Remember (recommended by **Crissy Shadows**! Thank you!)

The Cave by Mumford and Sons (I think especially the second verse applies to Hermione, and I just love the song)

Sorry about the gap in updates, but it has been crazy around here. Getting ready to go back to school. And most of this is fluff and a little filler, but it helps set the scene for what's to come.

I cannot tell you all how much reviews mean to me. They fuel and inspire me, and the more I get, the fast I write (honestly, it just makes me excited about finally finishing and updating).

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Harry Potter, in case you were wondering.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Between Sleep & Awake

"There's my boy," Hermione said upon arriving at the Potters' temporary home. Hermione walked through the door, Remus and Sirius close in her wake, to find a wide-eyed Harry walking towards her, giggling that baby laugh, bearing his two new teeth for the world to see. Swooping down, Hermione scooped Harry up into her arms, eliciting another stream of high-pitched laughter.

Hermione rocked Harry Back and forth, hugging him close. "My one true love," she murmured affectionately as she walked further into the house. Lily was close by, having followed the very mobile one-year-old.

"Don't let Remus hear you saying that," Lily teased, walking over to grace Hermione's cheek with a kiss.

As if on cue, as Lily uttered those words, the other two men entered, Remus saying, "What should I be hearing?"

"That Harry is my one true love," Hermione said. "He is, you know."

"Hate to admit it, but no one could compete with him," Remus confessed, going over to lovingly brush down Harry's crazy hair, but the pieces just sprung back up.

Sirius nodded. "Very true. He'll be a ladies' man, that's for sure. Look that that face! What bird would say no?"

"If he's anything like his father," Remus said, "then the bird to say no would be Lily, wouldn't it?"

"She eventually said yes!" James defended, walking into the room with a beer in his hand. "Harry wouldn't be here if she hadn't!"

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes.

Hermione chuckled and bounced Harry on her hip. "One day," Hermione said, "Harry will find a stubborn, smart, beautiful ginger Gryffindor - just like you did, James!"

"I sure hope so," James said. "We Potter men have a thing for gingers."

"Our marriage has been a lie," Lily said with mock dramatics. "And here I thought you were with me for my brains - finds out, it's been my hair all along!"

Hermione turned to Remus. "How you have a hair color preference you'd like to share with me?"

"That's a simple question," Sirius snorted. "Remus likes blondes!"

"Sirius, how many times must we go over this?" Remus said, sounding like he'd been through this a thousand times with a child. "I do not have a specific preference for any coloring in a woman. Though, as of late, I've gained a definite fondness for brunettes."

Lily bent down to pick up a discarded pacifier, a tripping hazard for more of older men than Harry, and said, "I wish I'd known that when I'd had a crush on you in Third Year, Remus. Muggle hair dye does wonders." Humming absently, she roamed towards the kitchen.

James's jaw dropped. "Y-you... b-but... LILY! WHY?!" he sputtered, going after his wife.

Blushing slightly, Hermione turned to slightly perplexed Remus and said, "Too bad for Lily, but... I win!"

"I should feel some sort of offense for being thought of as an object to be won, but seeing as my ego is far too inflated right now, I don't find myself minding at all," Remus mused.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, good for you, a girl besides Hermione actually liked you at one point. Whiskers, hand my boy over, so I can show him is birthday present." Without further precaution, Sirius snatched Harry out of her hands and walked him away.

Hermione and Remus were left alone in the foyer. They looked at one another and laughed. "So," Hermione said, smiling, "if Lily had confessed her feelings for you in Third Year, what would you have done?"

Remus scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Uh... run like hell?"

Hermione snorted with laughter. "Why?! She's gorgeous!"

"I'd have been far too intimidated," Remus said, shaking his head. "I had a terrible anxiety with girls... actually, with anyone. I wasn't good with people - I was too paranoid about them finding out about my furry little problem."

"What about me?" Hermione asked. "You never seemed anxious around me."

"You were the exception, love." Remus kissed her hair. "You put it perfectly yourself - you were my best friend."

Without warning, whizzing in like a rocket, came a small boy on a small broom. The boy was giggling like mad and running behind him was Lily, shrieking, "SIRIUS, MERLIN-DAMMIT, YOU GET MY BABY OFF THAT MAGIC FORSAKEN BROOM THIS INSTANT!"

James was cackling like a mad man.

"Oh, Lils," Sirius said consolingly, not at all ruffled, "he's perfectly safe! There's a hundred safety charms on the thing - it's designed for his age! It's only a training broom!"

"I could give a BLOODY DAMN how many safety charms are on it - I WANT HIM OFF OF IT NOW, YOU MORON!"

Hermione couldn't help it, she started giggling as hard as James. Remus couldn't stop himself from laughing. Hermione rested a hand on Lily's rigid shoulder - while Harry flew around the room in circles - and said, "If you hate this, wait until you see what I got him!"

Lily's eyes practically flashed red. "Hermione, may I remind you that we are on severely thin ice with one another and taunting me with a dangerous present for my baby may not be the wisest move?"

"Fret not, Lily," Hermione said calmly, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small box and tapped it with her wand. The box engorged in her arms, and Lily saw the holes poked into the sides and top of the container.

Looking nearly faint, Lily brought a hand to her head and tried taking a deep breath. "Is that... is your gift _breathing_?"

"What gave it away?" Remus inquired. "The air holes or the fact that it's moving?"

Sure enough, the box gave a tremble in Hermione's arms. Lily, anxious, ripped off the top to look inside, preparing to scream, but the second her eyes met with the creature within, the redheaded woman melted like toffy.

Slowly, as if the animal was glass, Lily reached in and lifted it, cradling it gently. "Oh my Merlin! She's adorable! JAMES, WE'VE GOT A CAT!"

Sirius grimaced. "I wanted to get him a puppy. Every boy should have a puppy."

"Why would he need a puppy when he has you?" Hermione snapped back.

"I can say the same for you!"

Hermione paused. "Well," she said casually, reaching out to scratch the tiny kitten's head, "just in case... I need to go into hiding as your secret keeper soon, you'll have something to think of me."

The kitten's fur was fluffy and consisted of coal blacks, silvery greys, and rust reds, but had mystifying yellow eyes that glowed and looked at you very seriously.

James easily plucked Harry out of the air and brought him over to Lily to introduce the one-year-old to the new addition to their family.

"What should we name her?" Lily asked excitedly.

"It's actually a boy," Hermione said slowly.

Lily glared. "It's a girl."

Hermione said, "You can't argue with anatomy."

Ignoring the other woman completely, Lily nuzzled the kitten and said, "What a pretty girl."

Harry said very loudly as he reached out to pinch the cat's ears, "DAAAH-DAH!"

"Dada?" James said. "Did he just say my name?"

"I don't think so..." Lily said.

"Daaa-daaah!" Harry continued chanting as he roughly stroked the cat, who just kind of glared by did not hiss or even growl. "Da-da!"

"I guess that's her name then," Lily said, smirking. "Dada. It's cute."

James pouted. "I thought it was my name."

"Her name is Dada, and that's that," Lily said, gently placing the skittish kitten on the ground.

"No, it isn't," Hermione said. "_His _name is Dada. Because it's a male cat."

Lily went on ignoring Hermione's protests and asked, "Where do you get cat supplies around here?"

Hermione reached into her purse and pulled out more supplies that she engorged with a quick spell. "I've already got you enough food and litter to last you a while. Seeing as you're in hiding and moving around quite a bit, I figured I'd make it easy for you."

"I'll take it all into the garage," James said, picking up the things with Sirius. "I don't even know why we have one."

"We're having a few people from the Order over," Lily said. "Seeing as this is our last evening in this house, Dumbledore says it's fine to have a few people over since we're moving the minute everyone leaves."

Hermione smiled. "Did you invite the Weasleys?"

"Of course! Ron and Harry get along quite well. I went over for tea with Molly twice and they get on great." Lily picked up Harry - who was harassing the cat already - and put him on her hip. "Someday, they'll be best mates! Just like Sirius and James."

Hermione's smile softened and nodded. She winked secretly and Lily and said, "_Exactly_ like Sirius and James."

...

Ron and Harry were chasing Dada to no end. The cat was already developing a complex and Hermione wondered if the pet had been a good idea.

Molly was round once more. When Molly had forcefully grabbed Hermione's hand and put it to her swollen abdomen, Hermione tried not to freak out. On the contrary, the second Hermione felt the baby's foot kicked, Hermione smiled and almost felt relaxed.

"Hello, Ginny," Hermione whispered so quietly that no one heard.

"This is the last one!" Molly declared ceremoniously. "No more children after this, whether it be a boy or a girl!"

"I think it will be a girl," Hermione said to Molly. "So don't worry."

"I hope so! All these boys are running me ragged!" With the instincts of a mother bear, Molly's head whipped towards her clan of ginger children and said, "FRED GIDEON, YOU GET YOUR BROTHER'S FOOT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH THIS INSTANT!"

Lily smiled at Hermione as Molly ran after her misbehaving boys. "Was that a guess or a fact?" the redhead asked. As always, Lily was stunning, in an ankle-length floral skirt and a light blue cardigan with short sleeves, her red hair piled up on her head. Her green irises eyed Hermione knowingly.

With a small smile, Hermione said, "You know I can't answer that, Lily."

"Oh, fine," Lily said, pursing her lips. "The least you can tell me is if I have more children."

"Do you want more?" Hermione asked, honestly curious.

"Maybe one more," Lily said conspiringly. "Don't tell James though - he's been pressing for enough to make his own Quidditch team, and I won't have it. Hearing I want a second kid will only make him go crazy for more."

"Is that a male thing?" Hermione asked, remembering Ron saying something similar about kids once. "The fact that they want dozens of kids - does it do something to their ego? Is it a pride thing?"

"I think it's primal," Lily said. "Fertility meant power in the age of cavemen. Or maybe it just proves to unhappily married men that they shag their wives more than they do."

Hermione nodded. "With men, it's always sex. Sirius has said he wants a lot of kids. When, I don't know, but I'm hoping Cadence is The One."

Lily agreed. "Even if she is barely out of diapers."

"She's seventeen!" a voice from behind them quipped. They turned to find a glowering Sirius. "She. Is. Legal. How many times must I say this?"

"Until we start caring," Lily said.

"Which might be never," Hermione added. "Now, hush up. There are children around and parents hardly need your obnoxious tendencies rubbing off on their kids."

Across the room, a young Nymphadora was watching Remus do some cheesy Muggle magic tricks. Normally, silly things like making a coin disappear would seem boring in the wizarding world, but sure enough Remus had five kids all gathered around him, watching absolutely entranced as he pulled a coin out of little Charlie's ear, earning a round of applause.

Discreetly watching on as well was Arthur Weasley, enamored with all things Muggle, looking even more mystified than the kids.

"He's wonderful with children," Lily said, changing the subject. "I admit, at first Remus was better at handling Harry than even James. My husband, while he is many great things, was not a natural father. It took him a little while to get used to the late nights, early mornings, scheduled feedings, and diaper changing.

"But I remember the first time Harry started crying when Remus was holding him. Immediately, Remus checked his diaper and started rocking him, tried giving him his pacifier, until he just went right to the ice box to pull out a bottle and start warming it on the stove. It was quite amazing."

Slowly, Hermione nodded. "I hope one day he gets to put his skills to good use."

Sirius, who was still standing there, said, "One day, he will. You'll convince him, give it a few years. You'll be popping out his puppies before you know it."

With a little smile said, "Maybe not me... but someone." Hermione's focus shifted to young Nymphadora, her hair practically glowing pink and beaming at the magic show.

Oftentimes, Hermione held a store of jealous towards Nymphadora, but as her task came closer and closer to its end, Hermione found that she had a great fondness for the girl. She knew one day a little girl's crush would develop into more, and the adult Tonks would survive and be able to pursue and convince Remus. Hermione even felt happiness for the Metamorphmagus. And a bit of gratefulness.

Hermione couldn't be with the Marauders forever, and Remus needed someone who would take care of him and love him as much as Hermione did. Thank Merlin, Hermione thought to herself, for Nymphadora.

Lily gave Hermione a sad look and raised a hand to the brunette's shoulder. Silently understanding, Lily stroked Hermione's shoulder and brushed back her hair.

"Girls are weird," was all Sirius said before walking away, probably to hunt down James.

"Everything will be alright," Lily told Hermione, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. "I won't pretend to know everything you do, but... I know that. If anyone can change the future, it's you."

Hermione hesitated, but whispered, "Lily, I can't take him away from her."

"From who?" Lily asked, perplexed.

Swallowing, Hermione admitted, "Nymphadora."

Picking her head up off of Hermione's shoulder, Lily's eyes grew huge. "B-but...she's a child!"

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. "Not where I'm from. She chased him and loved him unconditionally. The way they looked at one another... it was magic."

Lily's face creased into a deep frown. "I... I don't know what to say."

"I love Remus," Hermione said, "with every breath in my lungs and every thought in my head, every throb of my heart... but I love him enough to know that I was a mistake in this timeline and I owe it to him to set at least a few things right again."

Lily's frown grew suspicious. "What do you mean a 'few' things?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet," Hermione said with a hint of confidence. "What's with that look?"

Lily was giving Hermione a very threatening expression. "Don't do anything stupid."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "When have you known me to do anything stupid?"

"Having sex with Sirius is pretty stupid."

"Does everyone know about that?!" Hermione hissed.

"Well, anything James knows, I know."

"I should have figured. And someday, Lily... James will have to know everything you know as well," Hermione said, giving her a significant look.

"You mean... one day I have to tell James about your time-traveling adventure?"

Hermione nodded.

"Lovely. James is going to think he married a nutter. Thanks, Hermione. I appreciate it."

...~oOo~...

The next night, Remus woke to Hermione tossing in her sleep. Sweat coated her brow and her lips were moving rapidly, her murmuring quiet and unintelligible. She whimpered and turned erratically, as if an outside force was jerking her, but nothing held her except Remus.

"Hermione," he whispered, urgent with concern. He sat up and took her by her shoulders, jostling her gently. "Hermione! Wake up!"

She couldn't hear him though. In her head, she heard manic cackles and spurts of Russian while Remus sat in the silence of their bedroom, the still air only disturbed by her shaking and rolling.

In her head, she saw an image of an older Molly Weasley handing Harry a dented watch with an F on the face of it and stars as the hands for his seventeenth birthday.

In her mind, she heard Moody recounting a devastating event, admiring Molly's brothers... the brothers who, as Alastor said himself, "fought like heroes"...

Hermione shot upward in her bed, eyes whipping open and her chest heaving. Her head nearly collided with Remus's, but he snapped back fast enough.

"Fabian and Gideon," Hermione gasped, her face becoming so pale, the skin was translucent. "They're in trouble."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Will Hermione save the Prewett twins? 2. What kind of things do you think Hermione intends to set right again? 3. When do you think lily will be forced to tell James about Hermione's secret? 4. Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	59. The Blood, the Watch, and the Hourglass

A/N. Last chapter's title "Between Sleep & Awake" is from Peter Pan - my favorite book ever. The quote goes - I actually have a tattoo of these words - "You know that place between sleep and awake where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you. That's where I'll be waiting."

Another song for the playlist, suggested by JenniferLupinBlack - Never Look Back by The Nearly Deads. It's a great song and the lyrics definitely bring Hermione to mind!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Blood, the Watch, and the Hourglass

Hermione was deposited back through her own Floo, coughing from the smoke she'd hit halfway through.

"I can't get through," Hermione coughed to a shocked Remus and Sirius. "Something is definitely wrong. I was on my way, but there was this cloud of smoke in the network that pushed me back here."

Remus, Sirius, and Hermione all stood in the parlor, their hearts throbbing and wearing their pajamas. Which, meant for Sirius, nothing but a pair of boxers - which they were thankful for considering he slept nude. Remus wore no shirt and a pair of flannel pants, and Hermione wore one of Remus's cardigans and a pair of sleeping shorts.

They looked quite ridiculous, to be honest, but none paid any attention to the absurdity of their ensembles. Hermione was panicking. She needed to get to the Prewetts - she needed to save them.

She felt like an idiot for not remembering Alastor and Molly telling her the time of Fabian and Gideon's deaths. She should have remembered that died towards the end of the war.

If they died, she wasn't going to forgive herself.

"Brooms!" Sirius said. "We can go by broom!"

"We need the rest of the Order first," Remus said. "We have no clue what's going on - Hermione doesn't even really. We need to talk about this."

"No time," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Remus, how are you at flying?"

"I'm not a strong flier," he said with a shrug. "But I can hold my own."

"Then I'll sit passenger on Sirius's bike and you follow close behind," Hermione decided. "We need to get there quickly. Be on your guard when you're flying, Remus. You as well, Sirius. Who knows what phantoms are gracing the skies tonight."

...

The house had a large, gaping, smoky green skull hanging over it like a slithering stamp in the night sky. The hissing of the smoky serpent winding through the skull was audible from the earth, and Hermione stared at it in horror.

Everything was quiet. No sound of yelling or zapping of curses or echo of bodies fallen with a faint thump.

The yelling had been done, the curses had already died off, and the bodies were already decorating the floor.

The door, as well as most of the front of the house, had been blown down by what Hermione suspected to be a _Bombarda Maxima_. Remus and Sirius looked on with shell shock and terror, knowing what they would find. The men's feet were heavy as they trudged towards the ruins of the Prewett twins' shared home.

But Hermione had a flicker of hope, that maybe she altered the timeline enough that something in the universe changed the outcome. Maybe Fabian and Gideon were having a pint in their kitchen, with grimy faces and split lips from a heroic fight that saved their lives.

It was that hope that had Hermione sprinting towards the house, practically falling off of her brother's motorbike, and through the monstrous hole that looked like a massive bite out of their modest shack.

And when she crossed the shattered threshold, she found blood and halted. It streaked the walls, hand prints dragged in scarlet streaks. The red littered the floorboards and seeped through the cracks.

This hadn't been a simple "Avada Kedavra" and run. This had been a massacre.

Hermione knew that not all the blood could possibly been the Prewett twins'. There was simply too much of it. They had put up a good battle.

Then Hermione heard the creak of footsteps deeper in the house and she began running once more. "Gideon! Fabian!" she called out desperately.

The footsteps came closer and Hermione slowed, thinking that maybe calling out had been a bad idea. Her hand slipped towards her wand and had it at the ready in case a leftover Death Eater popped out.

"Black! What're you doin' here?"

Hermione sighed in relief at the sight of her mentor. Alastor Moody was clean of blood, as was Dumbledore who came up right behind him.

"I... I had a nightmare," Hermione stuttered, lowering her wand. "That Fabian and Gideon were in trouble..."

Alastor's usually grouchy expression turned dark and sad. "I'm afraid you were right."

"I'm sorry to say, but..." Albus Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Fabian and Gideon are dead."

Hermione hadn't heard her brother and Remus arrive, but Sirius's voice was low, gravelly, and close behind her when he said, "Can we... see them?"

"I think they'd prefer you remember them in a... purer light. They would not want the disturbing images of their bodies to be the vision that mars your mind when you hear their names," Dumbledore said, walking forward with a deep frown. "They would want their legacy... to be their smiles and the smiles the put on their loved ones' faces. After all, laughter was their greatest gift to his world. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hermione couldn't breathe as Dumbledore stepped forward and pressed a gold object in her hand. The watch had a large G on the face of it and clouds as hands. The arms had ceased their ticking and a bloody fingerprint stained the glass.

"When we got here, Gideon had only a breath of life in him," Dumbledore said. "He spent that breath telling us to give this to you to give to Miss Meadowes. It was important that it was you to deliver it, because he said, you would 'know what to say'."

Closing Hermione's hands around the watch, she closed her eyes as a lonely drop escaped.

...~oOo~...

The Prewett twins' funerals had been dark affairs. There was no redeeming quality, no one to lead the room in a verse of folk music, no one to remind the guests of why life was worth living.

Because the men who were responsible for lifting spirits were the ones in the caskets.

The dinner after the funerals was being held at Grimauld, but Hermione was not with the other mourners. Nor was Lily. In the library, in the back corner, Lily sat in an arm chair while Hermione kneeled on the ground, her face buried in the redhead's lap while she bawled. The sobs breaking from her chest were not only body-shaking, but stretched into agonizing howls.

Lily, trying to hold back tears of her own, stroked Hermione's head and allowed her to cry.

"_How could I have forgotten_?" Hermione wailed, never lifting her face. "I should have saved them! They should be alive!"

Lily felt Hermione's tears soaking through her black cotton skirt, her hot breath warming her thighs. Hermione was beyond devastated and Lily was the only one who could fully understand.

"Shh," Lily murmured quietly, arranging Hermione's curls gently. "This isn't your fault."

"YES, IT IS," Hermione cried out, cough-like sobs rocking her shoulders. "_I_ should be dead right now! Not them!"

"Hermione, how could you say that?" Lily whispered, tears leaking from her shining green eyes.

"I should have went to them earlier, should have remembered," Hermione whimpered, lifting her head from the woman's lap with the effort of Axis holding up the world. Black mascara streaked down Hermione's flushed and yellow-tinted face. "I should have gotten there in time, and jumped in front of them. I should have been there to even the odds and taken every blow for them."

"Hermione, why in the world would you do that?" Lily rasped.

"Isn't it obvious, Lily?" Hermione asked. "I have to die anyway, it may as well have been for them!"

"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded, taking Hermione's face forcefully between her hands. Lily tipped Hermione's head to look at her. "Tell me what you mean, Hermione."

"I've known it for years now," Hermione sniffled, her lower lips quivering. "I have to die. There can't be more than one me in the timeline. The results are completely unknown and potentially disastrous. When Dumbledore told me that... that I would be able to live a normal life after completing my task, it'd been a lie.

"Right now, the Hermione that belongs in this timeline is an infant, only just learning to talk and walk," Hermione intoned, her eyes turning cold. "I'm only a transplant. That means... this 'me', sitting here in your lap, needs to go."

...

That night, Hermione slowly rolled her pantyhose down her legs, sitting on the edge of her bed, and tossed them carelessly to the corner. She was drained, utterly exhausted, and ready to pass out. Eyes only half open, she twisted her arm around to her back to unbutton her simply black dress, but to no prevail. Her arms just didn't stretch that way.

A pair of calloused hands softly pushed hers away. "Let me help you," Remus said, sounding just as tired and sad. He carefully unbuttoned the dress and helped her slip it down her arms.

Shaking herself out of the dress, she left it on the floor and crawled under the covers in only her slip, wrapping her arms under her pillow and taking deep breaths.

"It was very kind of you to take over the funeral preparations for Molly and her family," Remus said as he slid off his tie and started on the buttons of his oxford shirt.

"It was the least I could do," Hermione said, a migraine from all her crying developing between her eyes.

"Did you... talk to Dorcas today?" Remus inquired.

Hermione sighed and nodded, closing her eyes to remember that particular crack in her heart she received that day.

_"This is for you," Hermione said, putting Gideon's watch into the woman's trembling hands. Dorcas Meadowes wasn't the most attractive of witches, but was certainly one of the most talented. The woman had long, dark brown hair and two large doe-like eyes that were maybe a tad too large for her face, a plain nose, and thin lips. _

_But the powerful witch looked broken that day, as many of the other Order members, but for some reason Hermione thought Dorcas's sadness just seemed... more intimate. _

_"Gideon said... that I should give this to you because I would know what to say," Hermione said carefully. "But honestly, I'm not sure I do. Maybe it was because, apart from his brother, I'm the only one who knows that he was in love with you."_

_Dorcas hiccuped a sob, but continued to listen, her thin fingers curling around the watch until her knuckles were white. _

_"And..." Hermione took a deep breath. "And, well, you know this already, but he was an extraordinary wizard. He certainly changed my life and helped save all of ours in one way or another. He was a warrior, a hero. And I think he would want me to tell you... to always remember him. _

_"He'll always be here," Hermione continued. "That I'm sure of. He was too damned stubborn to have it any other way, so he'll be watching over us... and, especially, you."_

_Quivering, Dorcas fell into Hermione's arms, sobbing her thank-yous over and over, squeezing Hermione's arms with gratitude. _

"I did," Hermione breathed, remembering Dorcas's hot tears on her neck. "It went... as well as something like that could."

Remus nodded and dropped his shirt to the ground with the rest of their things. The day was too sad to be picky over hygiene - they'd clean their laundry in the morning. Remus, in only his boxers, dropped into the bed next to Hermione.

"Today was miserable," Remus remarked.

Hermione nodded. "We have been to far too many funerals for our age."

"This war is... there isn't a proper word to describe the caliber of awful."

Hermione paused. "We're diminishing, Remus. The Order is slowly dying. Do you ever think... that, maybe... they'll win, purely because they have a larger army?"

Remus looked Hermione in the eyes and said, "It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success... not the number of followers."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow curiously at him. "Who said that?"

"Me."

Remus and Hermione's gaze held until Remus couldn't fight it anymore and cracked a grin, Hermione following suit. She snorted, the sound shattering the severe atmosphere shrouding them. Remus followed with a chuckle and they laughed quietly.

Remus's hands were folded on his chest and he looked at the ceiling, a slight smile on his lips. "I wonder what they're thinking right now."

"Who?" Hermione asked. "Gideon and Fabian?"

"Yes. But also Marlene," Remus went on, "and Edgar... and everyone else who has died fighting with us. And then I think about James and Sirius, Lily, and even Severus sometimes. And I think about how long they have left and if any of us have much longer.

"I've always been prepared to live a short life," Remus explained. "Werewolves have short life expectancies, and the ones who do live long are usually in Azkaban. I came to terms with it when I was twelve. But, the rest of you haven't lived your lives knowing you'll die young. And I think if anyone else thinks about that."

"That's an awful lot of thinking," Hermione said.

Remus only shrugged.

"You can't think for everyone, you know," Hermione told him, a light admonishment in her tone.

"I have to," Remus said. "At least for Sirius and James. They both are under the delusion they're invincible. Someone has to know their mortality - might as well be me."

Hermione reached out to drape her hand over his. "I know what you mean. How about we make a deal? You worry about James's thinking and I'll worry about Sirius's."

"Sounds like a good deal," Remus said. "I'll take it."

"And one day, when they've grown up and matured -"

Remus snorted doubtfully.

"- you can start thinking about yourself," Hermione finished.

Remus said nothing in response, but continued gazing at the ceiling.

Without warning, Hermione swung her leg over his hips perched herself over him, straddling his waist and looking down at him.

Remus's eyes rose to his hairline. "What are you doing exactly?"

"You said it yourself," Hermione said, pulling her slip up over her head. "Life is short. For a lot of us, our last grains of sand are dripping to the bottom of our hourglasses. And all I know is that if I die a week from now, or tomorrow, or even in a few hours, I want to spend those last grains of sand making love with you."

Without a word, Remus guided Hermione's mouth down to his and kissed her like he was on his death bed.

...~oOo~...

A/N. Okay, so writing this chapter was incredibly depressing. I hope you all continue to read, even if you hate me.

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Any last words you would like to say for our dear Prewett twins? 3. Did you cry like I did?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	60. Where Hath Trod No Man

A/N. I forgot to mention in my last Author's Note, but obviously Remus's line "It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers" isn't mine. It is from the Death Hollows, you may remember the scene with him and Shacklebot standing together before the last battle in the movie.

Let us take a moment to reflect on how awesome David Thewlis is... I love him. He is... just so cool. I want to... cuddle him... or something.

I know a lot of you are upset with me because of the last chapter *pouts* I would be mad at me too. I mean, when JKR killed Fred, I literally thought I wasn't going to be able to finish the book - I hope all of you hang in there with me. What if I promise a happy ending?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. Or David Thewlis, sadly. The world is a terrible place *frowns*

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty: Where Hath Trod No Man

The fight had gone out of the Order. The next Order meetings were dark and dejected, with little speaking and the feeling that everyone just wanted to get it over with. It was mid-August and the summer rain was dragging down the large windows and rapping out a soft song on the roof.

In the back corner, where they were normally, were Hermione and Severus speaking under their breaths.

"... That is peculiar," Severus said. "How long did you say?"

"It's been months," Hermione said. "Ever since he gave me that black eye. He rarely summons me now, and when he does, it's mostly cordial. Other times I'm summoned, it's for the usual meetings."

"So you haven't had relations with the Dark Lord since the start of May?" Severus clarified.

Hermione shook her head. "And believe me when I say, I'm not complaining in the least. But... it's curious, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it is," Severus murmured. "Have you talked to Dumbledore about this?"

Hermione frowned. "Dumbledore and I are... - what's the phrase? - ..._persona non grata_ right now."

"But you do realize that the Dark Lord's negligence to share his bed with you could very well be a sign of mistrust," Severus said. "Unfortunately, this could mean he's suspicious of you."

"But why wouldn't he accuse me? Interrogate me? He's still buying me things and kissing me, he just hasn't gone any further as of late."

"May I remind you of our old friend Arden Lutum?"

Hermione cringed at the name. "What about him?"

"The Dark Lord knew where he was for months, but didn't attack until he was sure that Lutum was lured into a false sense of security. The same with why he hasn't planned an attack on the Potters yet. He's very good at mind games and biding his time," Severus explained. "For all we know, you've been compromised and he just hasn't said anything yet."

Hermione swallowed. "How likely is that?"

Severus considered this. "Relatively unlikely. But it is more likely he is suspicious. You best speak with Dumbledore - he may know something we do not... as he always does."

Hermione's lip curled with reluctance. If she talked to Dumbledore then he might have a resolution - and frankly, she didn't want to fix anything. She didn't want to sleep with Voldemort, for Merlin's sake! The last few months had been the best of her life during the war!

"You have to," Severus pressed, obviously knowing what she was thinking.

"Fine, fine," Hermione grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Oh, and before I forget, Lucius wants to have lunch with you."

Hermione smirked wryly. "As of late, he's wanted to spend time with me more than the Dark Lord."

"I think he sees you as his most trusted confidant. As a good friend."

With a deep breath, Hermione admitted, "I feel bad about that. Even though Lucius is a Death Eater and a murderer, he was still my mentor and saved my life plenty of times."

Severus nodded slowly. "I know how you feel."

"I felt that way about you, before you joined us," Hermione said. "I cared... even though you were misguided and making bad decisions."

"As spies, though," Sever told her, "it would be best for us not to sympathize."

"How can I not, though?" Hermione whispered. "I've grown up with Lucius, he made me his son's godmother for Christ's sake. I don't know how you cut yourself off from everything, Severus."

"You want to know my secret as to how I 'cut myself off'?"

With only a slight hesitation, Hermione nodded.

Severus looked to Hermione and confessed, "I don't."

...

The meeting was adjourned, but as always everyone hung behind to converse and discuss the current goings on. There wasn't many people left, the ballroom of Mould-on-the-Wold felt empty, cavernous.

Many still wore black for the Prewett twins and many were considering disbanding the Order and giving up.

Hermione now stood with her Marauders and Lily. James looked frustrated for reasons unknown, and his face was scruffy from days of neglecting to shave. Sirius looked uncharacteristically mopey and Remus seemed resigned, leaning against the wall with his eyes half closed.

"Where's Harry tonight?" Hermione asked Lily.

"With Molly," Lily answered. "She's been so wonderful. It's so awful what happened to her brothers. She's been keeping a brave face, though."

"She's probably torn apart on the inside," Hermione said with a frown. "I... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to Sirius."

Lily pursed her lips. "I hate to admit it, but I don't know what I'd do either."

Sirius looked over with a small grin and said, "I always knew you loved me, Lils. It was the reason it took you so long to accept James."

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "I thought I already made it clear that Remus was my big crush before James."

Remus smirked. "Who knew girls liked me in Hogwarts? It's still a bit of a shock."

"Do I count for nothing?" Hermione said with a scowl. "I _am_ a girl, you know."

"Coming from the sounds I here from your bedroom," Sirius said, "I'd say I'm pretty sure he _knows _you're a girl."

Remus said, "Sirius, do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

James sighed and scrutinized the room resentfully. "Let's go to a pub. I can't take how depressing it is here."

Everyone looked around at the last of their friends scattered around the room, looking scared and sad.

"James," Lily said softly, "our friends have been dying. I think they have a right to be mourning."

"Please," James spat. "People have been dying nonstop for months! It's awful, yes, but the real tragedy is that we're _letting them die in vain_!"

He said his words so loudly that they echoed off the corners of the room, and everyone turned to look at James with wide eyes.

"That's right," he said, his face flushed with anger. "I'm talking about all of you! I hear what you're saying - talk of disbandment and surrender! But that isn't the reason the Order of the Phoenix was created. We came together because we were the ones who wouldn't give up. We knew the risks, we were never under any disillusioned into thinking this was going to be easy!

"Fabian and Gideon are dead," he stated with conviction. "So is Edgar, Marlene and her sister... and Daniel and Lucille and Art! And so many more. They've died fighting with us, fighting for us... and all of you think it'd be a jolly good idea to just go home, go into hiding, and give up?! What would all of them say! They'd be disgusted with us!

"We can't let them die in vain. Let's be realistic - if Fabian and Gideon were here, they'd hand each of us a pint and tell us to buck up! They'd be ashamed of us! So stop it with your moping, shut up about disbanding, and realize that we have something worth fighting for! If it isn't for our world as we know it, _let it be for our friends_!"

James's words hit them a gale of wind, knocking the breath of out them, and the fight back into them.

...~oOo~...

"Oh, oh! Young master, Master says young master mustn't - OH!" the house elf exclaimed as a small Draco sprinted on his chubby baby legs around the corner and towards Hermione when she entered Malfoy Manor.

Hermione suspected that Draco's barreling into her knees was more for the satisfaction of knocking her unbalanced and less because he loved her. The kid was a demon. But still hermione had gotten a soft spot for the evil little boy. She ducked down and lifted him with a grunt - Draco, fourteen months old, was a sizable boy.

The frantic house elf practically skidded around the corner and stopped short when he saw Hermione hoisting Draco onto her hip.

A house elf Hermione was very familiar with. "Dobby?" she said, awed.

The young elf blushed all the way to the tips of his flappy ears. "Yes, miss. How do you know Dobby's name, Miss?"

"Um..."

"Oh, what a rude thing for Dobby to ask!" the elf immediately wailed with self-resentment. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He punctuated each word with a smack to his own forehead. "Dobby will punish himself for his insolence immediately!"

"No!" Hermione said hastily. "No, please, don't punish yourself. You did nothing wrong. Um... but, if you wouldn't mind leading me to Lucius?"

"You wish to see the master? Of course, Dobby will help Miss, gladly!" His ears were in a tentative position, as if he was being very careful about how he moved and speak from then on.

Hermione wasn't surprised when she found Lucius in his study. Right away, Hermione could feel that something was different about him. The air of the room was warmer than usual, he looked far more relaxed, his long blonde hair was tied black in a loose ponytail, and the top three buttons of his oxford shirt were unbuttoned.

Upon closer observation, she saw a smudge of lipstick on his collar.

"You are dismissed, Dobby," Lucius said absently to the elf as he leaned back in his chair, a glass of scotch in his hand. Something was definitely wrong considering his voice had none of its usual malice for elves.

"Yes, Master," Dobby immediately answered with a small bow before scurrying out.

Hermione closed the door behind her and said, "Lucius, you scoundrel."

The right corner of Lucius's lip tipped higher and he took a sip of his drink. "What springs this accusation?"

"I'd bet money that Narcissa isn't home right now," Hermione said.

"And you would be right. How did you know?"

"Because Narcissa doesn't wear pink lipstick. Only red." She pointed to his collar and sneered lightly. "If you're going to cheat on your wife, then at least have the decency not to be a cliche."

Draco was still on her side, clinging like a baby koala, his hand deep in her hair and clenched tight. Hermione stroked his back and sat down in the seat across from Lucius on his sofa.

"Adultery is unbecoming," Hermione quipped, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "And when your son is home..." She shook her head, unable to finish the sentence.

"The house elves were watching him," Lucius said, brushing it off without worry. "What matters is that you responded to my invitation for lunch. We haven't spoken in a while."

"I don't think I want to speak to you at all right now," Hermione said, bouncing Draco on her knee, something the boy very much enjoyed. He liked the motion of it, he'd giggle with every bump.

Lucius raised one pale eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"I thought you were a gentleman, Lucius," Hermione said, sounding heavily disappointed. She was even refusing to meet his eyes. "You have a loyal wife and a beautiful son. What more could you want? What's missing?"

"Arranged marriages are complicated," Lucius intoned, "and nothing I need to tell you about."

"Is that a nice way of saying it's none of my business?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be going," Hermione said, standing up. She sat Draco on the seat she vacated and started towards the door.

When she got to the door, she heard a faint click, and reached out to twist it. Locked. When she turned to see Lucius, his wand was in his lip. Hermione glared.

"We've been through this, haven't we?" Lucius said.

"We have," Hermione said. "And I made it clear that I was not your house elf or your wife. So I don't need a dismissal to be on my way when I no longer wish to remain in your presence."

"I have to speak to you about something," Lucius said, standing up himself and strolling towards her. His feet were bare - something she'd never seen before. His feet were constantly sheathed in fancy, polished dragon-hide shoes. For a while she was wondering if he even had feet.

Well, he did in fact have feet. They were long and thin and had perfectly aligned toes, with hair so blonde it was invisible and thin blue veins.

"Make it quick," Hermione snipped. "Being around you today is making me sick."

"It's something that may take lengthy discussion," he warned.

Hermione grimaced. "Then send me a ruddy letter." She whipped out her wand and cast a nonverbal Alohamora. Before she could even touch the doorknob again, Lucius responded by locking it once more.

"Hermione, I'm doing this for your own good," Lucius half-growled, intercepting her move towards the door, standing in front of it and towering over her. Hermione had never seen him so intimidating before. Something about his relaxed ensemble made him look less like a diplomat and more like Sirius. "Listen to me."

Hermione gave him a sharp shove out of the way, but he took her wrist and moved her aside, pulling her up to him and glaring down at her with that Malfoy sneer. He looked so much like the adult Draco is almost disturbed Hermione.

"What I'm about to tell you could get me killed," Lucius hissed, his lean hand still curled around her thin wrist. "So forget your prideful feminist trash for _one bloody minute_."

Grinding her teeth, Hermione tried yanking away but his grip was too strong. She considered hexing him, her wand already clenched in the opposite hand, but despite the fact that Hermione was repulsed that he was cheating, he sounded urgent.

"You have just that," Hermione said, her lips pursed. "One minute."

...~oOo~...

A/N. SO GUYS! A few things. I have a poll up, go vote for the sexiest Weasley boy! New playlist songs: Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men and The Show by Lenka (suggested by **Hayley Granger**)

Challenge: 1. Who do you think Lucius's mistress is? 2. What do you think he needs to speak about? 3. Why has the Dark Lord ceased sleeping with Hermione? 4. Favorite part and line?


	61. Lucius's Mission

A/N. So the poll is now posted properly on my profile (at least it should be) for the sexiest Weasley boy. My opinion? BILL. Hehe :) ANYWAY, the poll will be concluded when chapter 62 is posted, so go and vote while you can!

I have two one-shots posted now, one of them being a Fred and Hermione story (I love Fred, so much) and a Draco/Hermione fic that I wrote a long time ago. I hope you check them out and tell me what you think!

Everyone reading TL:WWW and Captive, I'm sorry about the delay in updates - I am really consumed with The Last Marauder (which will be complete very soon).

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, thanks for asking. Really, I don't. *frown*

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-One: Lucius's Mission

"The Dark Lord is sterile," Lucius stated.

Hermione wondered momentarily if her mind had finally gone into overdrive and the world was finally making no sense. Blinking, she said, "Okay, so maybe a little longer than one minute. Explain from the beginning."

Lucius released Hermione's wrist and gestured with grace towards the chair that his son was dozing off on. "Perhaps you should take a seat?"

Hermione obliged and cradled Draco on her lap. It was nap time for Draco, apparently, and he wasn't one of those fussy babies who would take forever to sleep - like Harry, for example. When Draco was tired, he slept, no hassles.

Lucius summoned and elf quickly for tea and Hermione didn't even have it in her to scold him - she was still mind-blown by that simple statement, "The Dark Lord is sterile".

"Let me start from the beginning," Lucius said. "Remember when I speculated that the Dark Lord would want an heir soon?"

Hermione nodded.

"That was less speculation and more just concrete knowledge. A year ago, the Dark Lord came to Severus and I for fertility stimulators," Lucius went on, pacing rather than sitting. The elf appeared, left the tray of tea, and was dismissed a moment later. "He believed I has some... pointers, with becoming a father so quickly, and Severus of course is the potion genius. Sure enough, Severus and I are both familiar with a potion that will make the process of conception considerably quicker.

"Severus brewed it, with my assistance, and he started giving you this potion without your knowing."

Hermione's eyes popped wide open. "I'm being drugged."

"Not anymore," Lucius said, shaking his head. "Let me finish, for goodness sake. Regardless. The Dark Lord began slipping you the potion, but after months, you still weren't pregnant. Again, without your knowing, he tested your child-bearing abilities with a few spells I got from Narcissa - but you are fine. It was peculiar.

"And then he tested... himself," Lucius said, his voice deepening and slowing. "Little did he know that the fertility potion - which is most effective within the first twelve hours that it's taken - only really stimulates the woman's egg production...not, however, a man's... sperm quality. One simple charm told him that he was sterile."

Hermione processed this. "Alright. But... I still don't know what any of this means."

"The 'diagnosis' came only months ago... and he was feeling very... weak because of it," Lucius went on. "He never said so blatantly, but I could tell. And of course, the Prophecy on top of that. He was furious.

"Only a week ago, the Dark Lord summoned me, the Lestrange brothers, and Crouch for a private meeting. He revealed his issue and made it clear that he needed an heir, no matter what. His plan was for one of us to pour the potion into your drink, seduce you, and to impregnate you. We were instructed that after you fell asleep, we'd do a pregnancy test on you to make sure and then wipe the memory of sleeping with us from your head.

"Then we were to Apparate you to his bed. He would then make an excuse about how you arrive there, have relations with you, and then a month or so later you would find out for yourself that you're pregnant. The math would speak for itself, you would be none the wiser, and the Dark Lord would have an heir."

Hermione had been right. Her mind had to have fried because this could only be happening in a very strange nightmare. Shaking her head and pressing Draco closer to her chest for comfort, she asked, "What happened after he told you this plan?"

"Barty Crouch was far too eager, as was Rebastan," Lucius said with a small sneer. "Rodolphus remained as solemn as ever. But... I told the Dark Lord that I already possessed your trust and that I would have a better chance of completing the mission."

Hermione's jaw dropped. She eyed her untouched tea and thanked the gods that she had been letting it cool.

"What happened after that?" she asked.

"The Dark Lord charged me with the job and wiped the memories of our other three comrades," Lucius said. "And he insinuated that once I made sure you were pregnant that my memory would be erased as well."

Shaking her head incredulously, Hermione said, "That is... scarily perfect, isn't it?"

Lucius agreed. "In the end, the only person who would know the child wasn't his would be him."

"How does he plan on resolving the family resemblance dilemma?" Hermione asked, now morbidly curious. "What would happen if his heir came out as blonde as Draco?"

"I assume a simple hair charm would do the trick, along with a little more memory tampering." Lucius finally perched himself on the edge of the couch and began fixing his own tea. "And in case you're curious, no, I have not laced your tea with fertility potion."

Hesitantly, Hermione shifted Draco and reached for her cup of tea and sipped it. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Two reasons. Lestrange and Crouch would have raped you without a second thought," Lucius said. "As your mentor and friend, I can't let that happen, I owe you more than that. And second, you and I both know that as charming as I may be, you are far to clever to fall for me advances blindly."

Hermione nodded. It was true. If Lucius randomly started coming on to her, she wouldn't swoon - she'd just hex off his family jewels and run like hell, probably taking Draco with her.

"So... what exactly do we do now?" Hermione asked, not sure where they went from there.

Lucius shrugged and blew on his steaming hot tea. "I made a promise to our lord, Hermione."

She had to have looked like an owl with all the wide eyes and blinking. "You... you mean you're going to _seduce me_?" That sounded even more ridiculous when she said it out loud.

"Well, that certainly wouldn't work now," Lucius said. "I was going to, instead, politely ask."

"Politely ask to have sex with me?"

"And to take the potion, yes."

Hermione was shaking her head. "This is mad."

"It's even more man because later in the evening I would wipe your memory and soon after, mine would have the same treatment done to it, so realistically this conversation is pointless."

"I'm not having sex with you, Lucius!"

"Your faithfulness to the Dark Lord is admirable -"

"It's not only that! You're married, Lucius! I'm your son's godmother!"

"Morals are not a variable in this game, Hermione," Lucius said calmly. "There is no choice. And you should be glad. A month from now, you'll find out you're carrying the Dark Lord's child."

"Only it won't be his - it will be yours!"

"You won't know that, and neither will I."

Hermione's heart was hammering. They were being cornered. If Lucius didn't follow through, he'd be killed. If Hermione couldn't produce a child, she would probably be killed. All along, she hadn't been a mistress - she'd been a simple thing, a vessel, that he would have to someday utilize. It'd been clear to her for a long time.

But now it was all coming to a head.

"I need to wrap my head around this," Hermione said, trying to buy some time.

"Of course," Lucius said graciously. "I will simply inform the Dark Lord that my advances today were unsuccessful and that I will be better prepared for my next attempt. He knew that it would take more than one try for this to be over." He stood up, plucked the sleeping Draco from her arms, and said, "Go home, rest, and I will write you soon."

Hermione nodded and walked out of the room, feeling cold all over.

How was she going to get out of this?

...~oOo~...

Leaning back in his high-backed, velvet-lined chair, Dumbledore folded his hands in his lap and seemed to be deep in thought. "Curious..." he mused.

"I am not getting impregnated by Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said, deadpan. "That is where I draw the line."

"I honestly cannot blame you," Severus said from his seat beside her. "That is like asking me to seduce and share a bed with Bellatrix Lestrange. It is something I would rather die than partake in."

"Dying is a little drastic," Dumbledore said, his tone too light for Hermione's liking.

"Dying is exactly what will happen to both Lucius and I if we do not comply," Hermione bit out. "And while I would not mind, I would very much like for Lucius to continue breathing for the same reason I want the same for Severus. I care."

Dumbledore was nodding. "I am trying to understand how this happened. Has Voldemort always had this deficiency?"

"Dark magic can do unpredictable physical damage," Severus said in his deep, precise voice. "Already the Dark Lord's aging has been stalled because of his dealings with Horcruxes. It is plausible that sterility is another effect."

"Or perhaps one needs a soul to have children," Hermione said coldly. "And those lacking cannot."

"Also plausible," Severus said with a darkly masked amusement. "Unlikely, but a working hypothesis, indeed."

"How do we work around this?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore paused for only a moment before asking, "Hermione, dear, have you been feeling alright?"

Perplexed, Hermione said, "Um... I suppose so."

"Well, you don't look well at all," Dumbledore said with a wink. "Bed rest would probably be best. Severus could attest to that, couldn't you, Severus?"

Severus paused and played along. "Indeed. Hermione, it would be irresponsible for a man practiced in ailments and remedies to allow you to continue working and so forth. You need to be put on bed rest immediately."

Hermione sighed. "I can see what you're both doing, but how long can I play sick before it gets suspicious?"

"How long can a nasty case of Dragon Pox last, Severus?" the old man asked, his blue eyes glimmering the color of forget-me-nots.

"Months," Severus reported. "A very tricky disease to cure."

"And, incidentally," Dumbledore said with a smile, "a very easy disease to fake."

...~oOo~...

Within the next few days, Hermione had her own bed at St. Mungo's. Lily was officially a Healer and was assigned as Hermione's primary, so Lily could declare Hermione as sick for however long she liked.

Faking Dragon Pox, like Dumbledore had said, was very easy. A few charms, a couple potions, and a little glamour and Hermione looked perfectly dreadful.

For the first week, she wasn't allowed visitors because she was very "contagious". For the purpose of being convincing, the Marauders couldn't visit Hermione, but once the quarantine period was over, Remus was visiting every day, bringing her books and chocolate.

James and Sirius sent her boxes of tiny fireworks and Muggle puzzles. And out of nowhere one day was an elaborate bouquet sent to her. Originally, she believed it to be Voldemort, but when Hermione opened the little card, there was no trace of his trademark "V". Instead, there was a series of dots, like someone flicked their quill and created an ink splatter. But still, she kept them after checking the flowers for poison or explosives, and they lived on her side table, and even after an entire week they never wilted in the slightest.

Hermione had been alone for a stint while Remus was at work one day and was reading about the Ancient Grecians' remedies for Dragon Pox when, without a sound, a man slipped in through her door. His hood was up, but she'd recognize that snake-headed walking stick anywhere.

"Good afternoon," he intoned regally, pushing back his rain-soaked hood and taking off his jacket casually. "How are you feeling?"

"Drained," Hermione lied. "Tired. Achy. Unpleasant."

"How unfortunate," he said, and it didn't sound sarcastic or even indifferent. He slowly shut the room door behind him. "I'm here for the Dark Lord, to check on you. He's become... anxious about your welfare."

Hermione said, "I'm fine. If he's worried about me being found out, I've taken care of it. One of my Healers nearly saw the Mark, but a quick Confundus was an easy enough fix."

Lucius nodded. "Good. I wasn't worried. You know the protocol."

Hermione nodded.

"I do find it peculiar, the timing of your illness," Lucius observed slowly. "Almost... convenient."

Hermione pretended to be confused for a moment before saying, "If you think I contracted Dragon Pox to avoid sleeping with you, Lucius, you are wrong."

"It sounded silly when I thought it as well," Lucius said with a shrug. "After all, any witch would count herself lucky to share my bed."

"I am sorry to report," Hermione said, faking a cough, "that I cannot count myself among those witches."

Lucius raised an eyebrow cynically. "Am I not attractive enough for you?"

Hermione faked a weak laugh. "I am beginning to wonder if this is all an elaborate plot that you've cooked up to get me into bed, Lucius."

Even Lucius smirked at that. "While I am no stranger to being unfaithful to my wife, I'm not hasty about this arrangement either."

Hermione mimicked, "Am I not _attractive_ enough for you, Lucius?"

"No, you are not,"Lucius said simply, lowering himself onto the chair by her bed.

Hermione scowled. "No need to be so forward about how hideous I am."

Lucius only grinned and said, "Draco made this for you. Or, I can only assume he made it for you, considering he kept saying 'Minie" over and over again when he gave it to me." He tucked a hand into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

The parchment was covering with splatters and smears of multicolored paint, all muddled to the point it was mostly brown. It had two big blue hand prints in the middle though - Draco's little hands.

"Narcissa helped him with it, apparently," Lucius went on.

When Hermione saw the imprints of her godson's little, chubby hands something inside broke. Tears burned her eyes and she couldn't stop them from overflowing.

Lucius looked amused. "You truly are soft, my dear," he said, standing then. "You will make a fantastic mother, I am sure." He graced her cheek with a friendly kiss and left, his cane smacking the floor in a rhythm.

Hermione spent the rest of the day staring at Draco's masterpiece.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. How do you think the Lucius situation is going to be resolved? Do you think it even CAN be resolved? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. How long before Hermione's illness becomes suspicious, you think?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	62. Dip Your Feet In

A/N. HOLY SHIT PEOPLE, THIS IS THE TRUE BEGINNING OF THE END HAPPENING. I AM FREAKING OUT. WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO A SERIES OF EPIC BATTLES AND I AM JUST SO NERVOUS, IT'S INSANE.

You guys are crazy, haha! I got a LOT of messages and reviews saying they wanted Hermione to carry Lucius or Voldemort's baby.

I think the song Dirty Paws by of Monsters and Men would be a nice song to play when Hermione is walking in Diagon Alley and so on until the end of the scene at the bookstore.

Okay, so the poll results will be at the end of the chapter! You guys are so funny, you know. Fred and George got completely different numbers... and they're identical twins, LOL. Is it because George only has one ear?!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Two: Dip Your Feet In

Hermione had a plan. It was a stupid plan, yes, but a plan nonetheless. She imagined that this must be how Sirius felt the majority of the time. After all, all of his plans were half-baked and relying on luck.

And that is why Hermione said, at her next private meeting with the Dark Lord, "I want a child."

They were dining in Japan that evening, a sushi place, in celebration of Hermione's recovery. They sat on the porch of the beautiful and disgracefully expensive restaurant, looking over a deep crystalline pond with exotic fish shimmying through the underwater flowers and greenery. It was sunset in that part of the world, so the yellows and purples of the sky were reflected on the sparkling water.

A beautiful scene. Hermione always dreamed of seeing the world, exploring different continents for their natural treasures, but Voldemort had never factored into her plans. She hated it.

Voldemort looked up from his plate of sushi with some surprise, and then an indulgent smile. "You do?"

"Well... yes," Hermione said, hoping her disgust looked more like a nervous girlfriend instead. "Everyone I know lately is having children and... well, I want one too. I've just been... unsure about how to approach you."

Then Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, you are, after all, a busy and powerful man," Hermione said, strategically stroking his ego. "And I knew that it isn't the most... opportune time for a baby."

His smile slightly faltered. "Why isn't is an opportune time?"

"With how the war is progressing," Hermione said. "We hold the advantage right now. In a solid year, we'll have an easy victory and I want to be apart of that. But right now, a child would complicate thing, upset the balance for us. And my being pregnant... I wouldn't be able to be as involved, for the baby's safety. So... you understand my reservations about discussing trying for a child?"

Hermione saw the calculation in Voldemort's eyes. It wasn't suspicion, it was more realization - like he hadn't considered this before. Hermione had been hoping he hadn't.

It was a woman's largest advantage over men - the ability to see sense. And Hermione was able to use this to, hopefully, change his mind about sending Lucius in to impregnate her.

And... it seemed to be working.

"You are very right," Voldemort finally said. "As always. It isn't a very... stable time to have a child. But I would, someday, like to have a child as well."

Hermione tried to imitate Lily when she talked about children. Big, bright eyes and a wistful smile. "Really? You would?"

"Of course, my love," Voldemort said. "But, you are correct in the thinking that we should wait. We wouldn't want to take our chances and upset the balance of the war."

"I am so happy you understand!"

"In a year," Voldemort said, "we will start trying for a child. How does that sound?"

"Brilliant!" Hermione leaned across and kissed his lips lightly, and was very happy that she hadn't eaten any of her sushi, because every kiss with him gave her nausea.

"I am so happy we talked about this," Hermione said, smiling.

Voldemort smiled in return. "I am, as well."

...~oOo~...

Lily and Hermione were sitting at the Potters' newest safe-house, with tea and sewing things. The coffee table was scattered with fabric and scissors, needles and thread. They were cross-legged across from one another, Hermione holding Harry in her lap and Lily looking down at a patch of orange cloth, her thimble and needle with pensive concentration. Lily's red eyebrows were scrunched together as she slowly, deliberately sewed a seam.

"All this effort," Lily grumbled, "to make my son look like a bloody pumpkin... Should be criminal."

"But he'll be adorable when it's finished!" Hermione said.

Lily nodded in agreement and said, "Anyway, go on. What exactly happened?"

Hermione shrugged. "He agreed with me and since then Lucius told me that he's retracted his mission."

"That seemed... easy," LIly said, raising an eyebrow. "You'd think the Dark Lord Voldemort would be harder to persuade."

"I thought the same," Hermione said. "And at first I though I'd been too lucky, but... well, nothing has happened yet."

Lily looked up from her sewing, biting her lip. "You haven't heard any news about... you know... Harry, have you?"

Hermione sighed. "The Dark Lord is still trying to be strategic about the whole thing. He only wants to know when you've moved safe houses to keep track of where you are. I haven't heard much about his plan to attack quite yet."

Lily put down the cloth and leaned forward, forcing Hermione to look in her eyes. "I'm going to ask you something I have no right asking."

Hermione sighed, knowing exactly what was coming. "You know I can't -"

"Please, Hermione," Lily begged softly. "You know when it's going to happen, even if Voldemort doesn't yet. I need to know, to be prepared, to protect my child and husband."

"Lily, I've altered this timeline so much, it's impossible to tell if the date is going to remain the same -"

"Hermione," Lily cut in gently. "You know that's bullshit."

Hermione let out a long breath and absently fiddled with Harry's insane head of hair. "Lily, you should probably work more on that Halloween costume," Hermione answered hesitantly.

Lily's nose wrinkled. "Hermione, don't change the -"

"Lily," Hermione said, looking her friend in the eyes. "I think it would be best... if you worked more on Harry's _Halloween_ costume." She held her gaze, trying to relay her secret message without saying it.

Upon realization of what Hermione's coded answer meant, Lily's face paled, but she nodded. "I understand." And she continued sewing Harry's little pumpkin hat.

...~oOo~...

It was an hour past Flourish and Blotts' closing time (the store, not Hermione's breasts) and Remus still hadn't come home. Hermione was feeling nervous already without having Remus missing. So she grabbed her jumper and scarf, left Sirius a note, and used the Floo.

Arriving in Diagon Alley was a mixture of eery and calming. After all, this was the first magical place Hermione had ever been to, the first place she'd ever seen real magic done and not her random episodes from before she got her letter.

Discovering she was a witch was the most spectacular event of her life, along with knowing that she was special because her parents were Muggles. Hermione had always been more advanced than the other Muggle kids, but always felt plain and boring, outcast even - but finding Hogwarts and knowing she belonged there was a godsend.

Even the her First Year, where she nearly got killed more than once because of Harry and Ron, was exciting, exhilarating. And it only confirmed that that was her world.

And then the war commenced and being a witch, an a muggle-born at that, was a burden. And then it was resolved and she was ready to be happy. And then she went back in time and... well, you know the story from then on, I'm sure.

But Diagon Alley had been her threshold to that life, that journey. So as the sky darkened and the streets were bare apart from the late-night-stroll couples and pub-hoppers, Hermione felt like she was home again. She could almost imagine being eleven, holding her parents' hands, eyes wide and full of wonder as the magical world unfolded around her.

Hermione had been so consumed by her fantasy, she almost passed the bookstore completely, but pulled up short when her peripheral vision caught Remus through the front window, leaning on the counter and stared intently at something in his hands.

Hermione silenced the bell over the door non-verbally and slipped inside, ready to scare Remus. She was grinning stalking closer to the counter, extremely slowly and then...

"Boo!" Hermione exclaimed.

Like he was jolted by a strike of lightning, Remus jumped a half-foot into the hair, the object flying out of his hands. Hermione quickly levitated the box and lowered it back onto the counter as she laughed uncontrollably.

Remus, recovering from the fright, glared at her, but not maliciously. "You sneak," he said, shaking his head.

Giggling she said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"I'm sure you couldn't," he chuckled, looked at the puzzle box he'd been working on. When he'd lost his grip on it, the tiles had been jumbled and he cursed under his breath. "Great." He dragged a hand down his face, still laughing.

"You only have a few months left, you know," Hermione said, pointing to his puzzle box. "You have until New Year's."

He grinned and said, "Thanks for the reminder."

"How much of that picture do you have done?"

"Well I had the bottom half almost complete," he said, "but now..." Remus showed her the jumbled face. The bottom half of two bodies were clear, but still only partially done. "I know there are two people, but I don't know who. One of them is wearing boots and a cloak and the other trousers." She shrugged. "I have no clue."

With a slightly amused smile, Hermione leaned on the counter as well and said, "I have faith that you'll complete it in time."

"I've never asked, but what happens if it takes more than five years?"

The smirk stretched a little and Hermione looked truly mischievous as she answered, "It will explode."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You're joking."

"I'm not," Hermione said.

Shaking his head, he put the box to the side and said, "You really are Sirius's sister, aren't you?"

"I'll admit, he did inspire me for that little feature," Hermione said. "A certain catastrophe with my feminine products comes to mind."

Remus outright smiled. "I remember that story. You kicked Sirius and James out of our cabin on the train for that."

Hermione nodded and they laughed at the memory.

"We were so young," she reflected.

"We still are," Remus said, reaching under the counter for his sweater and gloves. "Are you ready to go home? Sorry about being late - I was just lost track of time."

Hermione walked around the side of the counter to wrap her scarf around his neck, fastening it securely as he flicked his wand, turning all of the bookstore lights off and shutting the front window's curtains.

In the dark of the bookshop, Hermione felt for Remus's face to stretch up and press a kiss to his mouth, her chilly nose pressing into his cheek. Remus responded gently and they both got lost in that kiss for a minute or so. Their lips reconnected over and over in slow, cold, comforting kisses. Hermione's arms twined her arms up around his neck, tightening their embrace.

Heat began sparking in Hermione's belly and she pressed up closer to him. It was a nervous, slow movement, the kind of advances an anxious virgin would make, like she wasn't sure if he would respond well. Remus's hands caressed her waist, rubbed her hips, teased the hem of her sweater.

They were each breathing heavily, chuckling self-consciously as they gave quick, chaste kisses while their shaky hands unraveled one another. It was a slow stripping, each other them trembling with anticipation, neither wanting to rush the silent, beautiful moment, but hungering for the other so much that it brewed a sweet ache in their hands and stomachs.

Remus laid Hermione carefully on the carpet behind the counter, pressing tender kisses to her nose and temple and earlobe and breasts. Hermione eased her leg up around the side of his hip, wanting to feel him closer. The store was cold from the October wind and rain, but in their little bubble in the pitch dark it was warm.

And when Remus sunk into her, Hermione gasped out a small, "Oh!" that filled the blackness around them. Remus's mouth descended onto hers and Hermione held onto him harder.

Because she was never going to be ready to let go of him.

...~oOo~...

Only days later, Hermione sat around the Malfoys' long rectangular table, the lights dim around the Death Eaters. Hermione sat next to the Dark Lord and directly across from Severus, both wearing deadpan expressions, much like their comrades.

The room was cold and dark and full of shades of grey and black. Hermione was shrouded in her Death Eater cloaks, her steel mask sitting in her lap. Lucius sat next to her, shoulders back and his finely structured face in a militaristic scowl, staring forward and at intervals exchanging looks with Severus or Rodolphus.

"I've summoned you this evening to discuss the situation with the Potters," Voldemort said, his cool demeanor examining his followers closely.

Hermione suppressed a cringe.

"I do believe... it is time," the Dark Lord intoned.

Bellatrix, at the other end of the table, cackled gleefully.

"Hermione, what is the current position of the Potters?" he asked.

"Godric's Hollow," Hermione answered without hesitation.

Voldemort smiled coldly. "Perfect. Until the night of All Hallows Eve, I want the Potters to be none the wiser. None of you will set foot in Godric's Hollow, none of you will attack any homes even close to the town. We want the Potters to feel perfectly safe. The night of Hallow's Eve, you all will remain home until you are instructed otherwise. This will be very easy, I assure you, but I will not need reinforcements until I ask for them. Do you all understand?"

They all nodded, and Hermione's insides squirmed.

All of this... it was almost over.

...~oOo~...

A/N. The winner of the sexiest Weasley boy poll was... CHARLIE! Second place was Fred, Third was Bill, and Fourth was George. Totally unexpected, these results! Ron and Percy got zero votes, haha!

Challenge: 1. What do you think Hermione's next move is? 2. Do you think it was too easy for Voldemort to agree with Hermione's reasoning? 3. Are you nervous about the upcoming obstacles? If so, what are you most nervous about or excited about seeing? 4. Favorite part and line? 5. Are you bummed about no Lucius/Hermione sexy time? (Because I know a few of you are, hehe)

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	63. One More Flame May Live

A/N. We are in the infamous October of 1981. It's nerve-wracking, to be honest. I mean, if I fuck this up, you'll all hate me forever and this story will go down in infamy for "loads of build up for a shitty ending"... but, I hope I can please all of you and make this turn out well.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Three: One More Flame May Live

Hermione looked down at her sleeping Remus as she pulled on a jumper and shoes. He was spread out on her bed, lying on his back, one hand braced on his chest and the other stretched out where he'd previously been holding her.

Remus's face was scruffy and his hair was tousled and he was breathtakingly beautiful. Even the three thick, silvery lines marring his face didn't distract Hermione from how handsome he was. She thought about climbing back into bed with him, kissing him awake, and just spend the night kissing and talking as they often did.

But Hermione had a duty. She scratched out a note for him, complete with a quick lipstick kiss at the bottom, and put it on her pillow for when he woke up. She gently brushed his hair out of his sleeping eyes and kissed his forehead.

Before she left, she dug into her bedside table and withdrew the box that began her entire journey. The ornate, scarily beautiful jewelry box. When she opened it, she found the reasons for her transport back in time in the first place - every Horcrux in existence was in that clever little box. A box with more secrets to it than anyone would anticipate.

Clutching the box to her chest for a moment, she left her room and went down to the Floo. In an instant, she was standing in Dumbledore's office and the headmaster wasn't the only one there.

Severus stood there, solemn as always, his black ensemble buttoned to perfection. Even his hair was pulled back into a leather thong for that night - something Hermione had never seen before. He looked ready for battle.

"After tireless searching for a safe place to unleash Fiendfyre," Dumbledore said without preamble, "I've concluded that... there is none. Fiendfyre is meant to be destructive, so wherever it is cast, there will surely be consequence. Which is why the only place that we can avoid alarm from surrounding wizards and muggles is underground."

Hermione and Severus exchanged an unsteady look. In the past, they hadn't had the most favorable experiences underground. The labyrinth was still potent in their minds.

"Where underground?" Severus inquired.

"My childhood home has a basement," Dumbledore said. "Did you know that?"

"No, I did not."

"Well, now, I dare say, you do. I trust you know the Floo address?" Dumbledore gestured to the Floo, holding out a bowl of powder. "Severus can go first, then Hermione, then myself."

...

"Put each of the Horcruxes on the ground," Dumbledore advised. "Spread apart, if you don't mind."

Hermione began placing each of the objects about a two meters apart while Severus was examining the confines of the basement at Mould-on-the-Wold. Severus said, "Concrete wasn't yet used for basements when this house was built."

Dumbledore said, "I had the house renovated when I decided to use it for the Order. It'd been a crumbling mess... and I thought a stable basement would be valuable as a shelter. It's good that I did, for the purposes we'll be using it this evening."

Severus nodded. "The fire won't spread to the rest of the house. Clever."

Hermione stepped back from the Horcruxes and was satisfied at how they were distanced.

Tom Riddle's journal.

Marvolo Gaunt's ring.

Salazar Slytherin's locket.

Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.

They all laid there, looking like simple objects, small but shiny and rich with history, but when you touched them you could practically feel the blackened soul pulsing from within, throbbing like a heart.

A very evil, very cursed heart.

Dumbledore instructed for the three of them to take opposite ends of the room, making a very large triangle around the Horcruxes.

"On the count of three, we will cast the Fiendfyre at each object. Severus, you will be focusing on the journal and the cup. Hermione, worry only about the diadem, and I will take care of the locket and the ring," Dumbledore said, loud enough for his comrades to hear from across the basement. "I have faith that you both will remain in control, but the moment it becomes too much, Apparate out immediately. Now, wands at the ready."

Severus and Hermione readied their wands.

"One..." Dumbledore said. "Two..."

Hermione swallowed.

"Three!"

And a second later, the basement was filled with lung-squeezing, unbearable heat. Exploding from the tips of each of their wands came large, billowing, furious flames. Hermione remembered the fire in the Room of Requirement, courtesy of an overzealous Goyle and immediately became nervous.

But, Hermione noticed, when the fyre Dumbledore casted morphed into a large, hissing phoenix, it obeyed him, swooping down into the pieces of jewelry on the ground, engulfing them until they shook and let out a piercing scream.

The fire warped itself into monsters and dragons, chimaeras, serpents, all slithering and boiling, breathing orange and yellow flames that burned Hermione's eyes to look at. Her own fyre was shaping into bats and raptors, attacking the diadem as she instructed.

Each of the Horcruxes were screaming, the sound slicing through each of the wizards' eardrums and into their heads. It was worse than the unfiltered scream of a baby Mandrake and with the heat added to it, passing out was becoming more and more likely. Sweat poured down Hermione's neck and back, down her chest and pooling between her breasts. She fought for consciousness.

Each object, minutes apart, gave deafening pops and large shots of smoke came from them, the blackness melding with the fyre, and the Fiendfyre creatures did not like that Horcruxes' smoke. They reared up and howled louder, roared and screamed more, and went rogue.

"Apparate!" Dumbledore yelled over the symphony of horror the Fiendfyre was making. "NOW!"

Severus obeyed and Hermione was close to follow, but not before the Fiendfyre shaped into a very familiar face.

Lord Voldemort's face, his mouth gaping and emitting agonized, soul-ripping screams.

...~oOo~...

The moment Hermione landed on her bed after a very strenuous Apparition, she was jolted by a loud, human noise that jolted her and made her fall off the bed and crash on the floor, making her let out a rather high-pitched yelp.

Without warning, barreling through the door came another loud slam and a, "What the hell is going on?!"

Collecting herself, Hermione sat up and saw that the first yell that had scared her had been a shocked-awake Remus, the yelp was hers, and the sudden bedroom intrusion was a ruffled looking Sirius, his smoky eyes large and confused.

Remus answered Sirius, "I have no fucking clue. Hermione just... dropped out of the sky, I think."

"I Apparated," Hermione said breathlessly.

Remus looked over the side of the bed to Hermione's spot on the floor and said, "It looks like you spent your evening in a sauna." He pointed to the patterns of sweat on her clothing.

"Is that a slippery way of bragging about your sexual prowess?" Sirius asked Remus, raising an eyebrow. "Because, mate, the sauna jokes are out-of-season."

"No, Sirius," Remus said with a huff. "Look at her, she's sweating everywhere."

"Oh dear," Sirius said, looking or himself. "He's right. Were you having night sweats? Are you experiencing early-onset menopause? Because, frankly, Hermione, I don't think I can handle your usual attitude with a woman's changes thrown on top of it."

"I'm not menopausal!" Hermione shrieked.

Sirius rose a brow speculatively. "Are you sure about that? Because you're doing an awful lot of screeching."

"Sirius, get out," she growled, picking herself up off the ground painfully. She began shucking off her sweater, the wool sticky to her skin, and then her undershirt.

Sirius leaned against the door frame and said, "Not until you explain what happened. You obviously went out."

Remus nodded. "I must say, I'm intrigued myself."

Hermione wasn't happy about having an audience of two while she undressed, even if both men had seen her naked at more than once. It was that inner little girl that never left her that blushed and turned towards the corner when she got down to her under-things.

"Well... tonight we destroyed the Horcruxes," Hermione said, slipping into a pair of light shorts and a tank top. She was still very warm from the basement fyre, her face and neck were still blotchy, but the coolness of the autumn air in the house was helping. She tied her hair up into a bun so that her heavy curls wouldn't lie on her neck.

Remus's brows went up to his hairline. "Really? How did that go?"

"Let's just say I'm glad it's over, on that front," Hermione said. "I'm probably going to be summoned by the Dark Lord any minute. He might be in shock from having more than half of his soul being destroyed in one go."

"Why didn't you tell me that was tonight?" Remus asked.

"I didn't want you to worry," she answered. She went to her bedside table and put her now-empty jewelry box back inside. "Everything is fine. Sirius, go back to bed."

"Why couldn't I have a normal sister, who did non-lethal things and didn't steal dark artifacts with a dictator's soul in them?" Sirius uttered, shaking his head. He turned on her bare heels and padded back down the hall to his bedroom.

Remus rolled onto his hip to face Hermione, staring her down and crossing his arms disapprovingly.

Hermione sighed. "I didn't want you to worry!" she repeated.

"It doesn't matter," Remus said. "We're supposed to be a team."

"I'm sorry," she said, dipping to kiss his mouth. "But I did leave a note." She pointed to the parchment on her pillow.

Remus granted, "True. Which I appreciate."

"Your welcome," she responded cheekily. Then her forearm started to burn.

It burnt worse than it ever had before.

...

When Hermione dropped into Malfoy Manor, the first thing Hermione saw was a young Death Eater, dead on the floor. Next she saw Severus and Lucius standing by, neither in their robes. Severus wore trousers and a plain black cotton shirt, and Lucius stood beside him in sleeping clothes.

This was obviously not a planned visit.

The Dark Lord looked beyond furious. His sanity was visibly breaking at the seams, his eyes huge and dark, his skin so pale that it bordered on yellow. His nostrils flared as he breathed laboriously. One hand was clenched around his wand, the other curled into itself so tightly that his nails ripped into his palm, causing a trickle of red down his fingers and to the floor next to him.

He even looked like a mad man, now. His shirt was buttoned unevenly, his trousers wrinkled, his feet only sheathed in socks, his hair a mess from dragging his hands through it, probably fisting them as he yelled only moments before they arrived.

The Dark Lord said nothing as his three most "faithful" followers stood among him and the dead body. He just stood there, looking a mixture of murderous and insane.

No one dared speak.

Until finally, Voldemort ground out, "Tonight... Dumbledore has... gained an... advantage..."

They all remained silent.

"And I would like to know... why my SPIES," Voldemort abruptly roared, "KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT!"

Severus and Hermione exchanged a quick look.

"What advantage do you mean, my lord?" Hermione inquired.

Voldemort's teeth clenched so hard that the grinding of enamel was audible. "Do you not know?" he demanded.

"I'm afraid we do not, my lord," Severus said with perfect conviction.

"Dumbledore has many secrets," Hermione added. "And we are not... privy to all of them. We suspect he is... suspicious of us."

"THEN YOU AREN'T VERY GOOD SPIES, NOW ARE YOU?!" Voldemort bellowed, the blast of his voice vibrating the chandelier about them. "IT IS YOUR JOB TO AVOID HAPPENINGS SUCH AS THESE, AND YOU'VE FAILED ME."

"We are repentant, sir," Hermione said, tipping her head down in a bow. Severus did the same.

The Dark Lord drew in a shuddering breath and raked his hands back through his hair, smearing his forehead with the blood from his palm. Hermione could see the struggle to pull himself back together.

Then, with forced calm, Voldemort said, "Lucius, I will be needing a room tonight. Hermione and Severus, return home. Everything will continue as planned. All Hallow's Eve is only days away. Tell no one of what's happened here."

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. What do you think will happen next? 3. Halloween is only days away... What do you want to see?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	64. Remember Us Not As Lost

A/N. As always, I appreciate every review and all the support you guys give me. It feels like whenever I get nervous I receive a new review that just pumps me up and makes me more determined to continue! You guys sure know how to stroke my ego... lol, just kidding! But really, you guys know just how to put a smile on my face!

A shout out to all my readers in other countries! Brazil, Chile, Canada, England, France, just to name a few! REPRESENT your country and tell us where you're from in the reviews (only if you're comfortable doing so, of course)!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. It's pathetic, really. Sometimes I have dreams I'm JKR, and when I wake up, I cry.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Four: Remember Us Not As Lost

"He has another Horcrux already," Hermione announced in Dumbledore's office, her eyes bearing dark shadows from lack of sleep. After he late-night meeting with an estranged Dark Lord, all night she was terrorized with the same thought.

They thought they had destroyed all the Horcruxes...

But what if the Horcrux Dumbledore's protrait had told her about was already in existence? What if she had wrongly assumed that it was made _after _Nagini and Harry?

Dumbledore said, "There is no evidence -"

"But there is!" Hermione interrupted. "There has to be! He's not nearly as week as I'd expected - he should be half-dead, but he's still got plenty of energy to shout and kill one of his followers! He should be rendered powerless by now - but he's continuing his plan to attack the Potters! He must have a reason why he thinks he'll survive facing two exceptionally powerful wizards like James and Lily!"

"He feels dangerous," Dumbledore explained. "He's on the edge of insanity. He's not thinking straight. He's being irrational, just as we've hoped."

Hermione was shaking her head before he could finish, looking frantic and scared. Dumbledore stood from his chair and walked around to place an aged, thin hand on her shoulder. He said, "Hermione, do yourself a favor and go home. You need to rest. I'm afraid your paranoia is effecting your health."

Hermione looked up at Dumbledore and said, "Sir... I don't think I'm paranoid. I think... I think there's another Horcrux."

"Fear not, my dear," he said in a fatherly manner. "I will do the research and make sure we aren't missing anything. Will that make you feel better?"

Slowly, Hermione nodded.

"Then that's what I will do. Go home and rest, Hermione," he said again, handing her his bowl of Floo Powder.

With a shaky hand, Hermione accepted a handful of Floo and retreated back to Grimauld.

...~oOo~...

The day before All Hallow's Eve, the Marauders sat around the old round table at Remus's home. It was very quiet, each of them thinking about what was to come the night after that one. Each had a nearly-full tumbler of whiskey in front of them. Where Remus would normally be holding Hermione's hand, their skin remained studiously untouched, and James and Sirius exchanged none of their usual healthy pats or punches.

Hermione stared down at her hands clasped on top of the table.

"Well," James said, breaking the silence, "this is where I should be giving some kind of... motivational speech, then."

Each of his friends looked up at him eagerly, thirsting for his words that famously made everything feel right again.

"But... I've got nothing," James admitted.

Everyone's spirits visibly dropped.

"Thanks, mate," Sirius said, grasping his tumbler and taking a swig. "You sure know how to lighten the mood."

"I'm sorry that my disposition is not to your liking," James said sourly. "It's not as if our entire word might go up in smoke -literally - in only twenty-four hours."

"Boys, stop," Hermione said, but her heart wasn't in it.

"We aren't supposed to fight right now," Remus said. "We're supposed to drink our weight in whiskey and reminisce."

Sirius scowled. "What if I don't want to bloody reminisce? What if I want to fight and mope and be a cantankerous bastard?"

"Then take your shit and get the fuck out," James said, topping off his drink and downing it all in one shot.

But Sirius didn't leave.

James took a deep breath and said, "Do you all remember when... Hermione first came to live with Sirius? And we met her for the first time, Remus?"

Remus smiled. "How could I forget?

_"This, my friends," Sirius said, throwing his arm around Hermione's shoulder and bringing her forward into the light, "is my sister."_

_Both boys looked very confused. Remus had a calculating look in his eyes, trying to find out if he'd missed something over the past few years, but James was just shocked._

_"No way is a girl as nice-looking as that came from your mother," James said doubtfully. He turned to her again with a smile. "I'm James, by the way. James Potter. Pleasure you make your acquaintance." He strut forward, took her hand in his and kissed the top of it._

_Sirius smacked his friend's wrist, hard. "Hands off. She's mine."_

_James scowled his disgust._

_Remus joined in, "I hope you realize, Sirius, that just because your parents are cousins does not mean you have to continue the incestuous trend."_

_Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "But she's so adorable, why wouldn't I want to marry her?" He pinched her cheeks affectionately._

_Hermione slapped away his hand prodding her face and said, "Sirius, don't be such a git. You enjoy grossing out your friends far too much." She turned to face the two boys. "Orion and Walburga adopted me. I'm not actually his sister. My name's Hermione, by the way, since Sirius is far too rude to properly make introductions. And your name is Remus?" she asked the boy leaning against the shelf in a worn-out jumper and holey jeans._

_He nodded. "Remus Lupin." He held out his hand to be shaken and Hermione obliged. "I'm sorry that both my friend and your brother are idiots."_

_"Oi!" James and Sirius said in unison._

_"It's alright," Hermione said with a smile. "I'm starting to get used to Sirius, how hard can acclimating to James be?"_

_"Harder than you think," Remus whispered conspiratorially, giving a friendly wink._

They all smiled a bit at the memory.

James said, "That's when our group was complete. The Marauders' first official introduction." He winked at Hermione.

"That was the year James became uncontrollably smitten with Lily, too," Sirius pointed out. "A very eventful year for the Marauders."

Remus said, "Do you remember the very first time she rejected him?"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "He still has nightmares about butterscotch pudding!"

Hermione said, "I never did hear about this 'butterscotch pudding' incident, as you all refer to it as."

"Well, it happened the year before you came to Hogwarts," Remus said. "It was when James was in denial about his love for Lily and made it is life's ambition to drive her insane. You know how little boys on the playground kick dirt at girls because they have a crush on her? Well, that's how James was, only about four times worse."

"Oh, boy," Hermione said.

"'Oh, boy', indeed," Remus confirmed. "One day when James was taunting her, he said that he would stop bothering her if she went on a date with him. It was... a very big mistake. She played coy and flirty - it was very clever. She gave him a potion and said that that night his dreams would tell him exactly what she thought about him."

Hermione looked over at her brother and James. Sirius was guffawing already, barely able to breathe while James face was beet red and he looked like he could not possible be more humiliated.

"I'm not sure if I want to hear the rest of this," Hermione murmured.

"No, you definitely do!" Sirius exclaimed. "Go on, Moons! Tell her about what our Prongs did!"

Remus, a smirk tilting his lips, went on, "Needless to say, James fell for it. That night, he downed the potion and went to sleep. No more than an hour later, he woke up in a cold sweat, screaming in horror."

James cut in, "Okay, I think that's plenty information." His voice was fast and desperate. "I was stupid, drank the potion, had a nightmare - the end! No more! This conversation is over!"

"What does any of this have to do with butterscotch pudding?" Hermione asked, ignoring James's outburst.

Sirius took over and said, "The poor prat was still terrified even after being woken up and spilled everything that had happened in the little... fantasy."

"It wasn't a fantasy!" James snapped. "I was under the influence of a very evil, very diabolical potion!"

"So you're saying you _didn't _have a sex dream about Sprout and McGonagall wrestling in a pool of butterscotch pudding in nothing but their brassieres?" Remus inquired innocently.

James groaned, throwing himself down onto the table while Hermione's eyes wrenched open wide while Sirius cackled hysterically. James was repeatedly smacking his forehead into the table, like if he did it enough times he'd go into a coma and wake up remembering none of this.

"Oh my Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed in disgust and terror. "Are you serious?! And Lily just had this potion on her, ready to go?"

"She'd obviously been planning to sneak it into his pumpkin juice," Remus chuckled, "but the opportunity presented itself to humiliate him further. Of course, the only people who knew about the dream were James, Sirius, Lily, and I. But you could tell, she was very smug with herself the next few days.

"He was scarred enough mentally that he didn't bother LIly for months," Remus concluded.

"So... many... wrinkles..." James moaned like a ghoul. He took off his glasses and ground his heels into his eyes as if it would take the image from his mind.

"That's... awful," Hermione said, giving a small gag. She was shaking her head. "I'm beginning to wish you hadn't told me. Now the image won't leave my head."

"Trust me," Sirius said, "I can't imagine it could be worst than James's image."

"It isn't," James assured her, his eyes squeezed shut. "I'm twenty-one years old and I can't forget a dream I had when I was twelve, how disturbing is that?"

"Why don't you take it out of you head?" Hermione asked. "Put it in a Pensieve?"

"Because then there's evidence," James hissed. "At least, if it's safe inside my head, there is no chance that anyone - like Lily - can stumble onto it."

"Unless, of course, you meet a skilled Legilimens."

James paused. "Well... the only Legilimens I know is you, so... I'm sort of hoping you aren't that evil."

Hermione shook her head. "Believe me when I say that I do not want to see that, James. Not even out of curiosity. I am perfectly content with never knowing the details."

"Well, I'm certainly not!" Sirius declared. "Did the pudding get stuck in Sproutie's rolls, mate?"

"SIRIUS, SHUT UP," all three Marauders shouted in unison.

"Let's play a drinking game," James said, topping off everyone's drinks. "So that maybe we can forget this conversation ever happened."

"I'll second that," Remus said.

And so the Marauders, for one night, reclaimed their youth. For a few hours, none of them were married, none of them were soldiers, none of them had ever been part of what James called a "twisted love triangle." They were just the Marauders once more.

They spoke of dreams and past triumphs of sneaking into the girls' showers and putting stink bombs under all of the Slytherins' beds.

And Hermione, for one hazy moment, saw them all as she did when she first met them. James was a skinny and gangly, with messy hair and hazel eyes dancing with mischief. Sirius was the cutest boy in all of the Houses, but never payed a single notice to any girl - because he was far too wrapped up in his friends. And Remus was a shy, hesitant student, the smallest among them, with bony shoulders and a meek smile, his shoulders always hunched like he had a secret.

And when she turned to see her reflection in the glass of a cabinet, she saw herself with them, at the same age. Small, flat as a board, freckled, frizzy-haired, and buck-toothed. Not all that different from now, but with a distinct innocence to her plain face.

The moment of being transported back in time lasted only for a minute, but for that sixty seconds, none of the Marauders knew the pain of enemies, sex, or war. They just knew each other.

That minute was Hermione's glimpse at Eden in the middle of Hell.

...~oOo~...

A/N. This is it, everyone. What we've been waiting for. So, there won't be a challenge. Instead I'd like if each of you wrote in a review everything you feel about this story and what's about to happen, maybe what you want for the future of the characters, and your favorite chapters and scenes. Also, as always, your favorite part and line.

I don't think the next few chapters will have challenges, because there will be a lot going on.

Do any of you remember the first reference to the Butterscotch Pudding incident? 100 points to the person who does!

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	65. Something Wicked

A/N. WOW! This story has reached ONE THOUSAND reviews! Holy shit. I can not express how grateful I am for every word you readers write!

On a completely unrelated side-note, I watched "ANONYMOUS" today (the movie) with Rhys Ifans, who many of you may know better as Xenophilius Lovegood AND David Thewlis, aka Remus Lupin. AND, to top it off, Jamie Campbell Bower was in it as well who many of you may remember from the seven second scene in Harry Potter of a young Gellert Grindelwald jumping out of the window into a stormy night after stealing the Elder Wand.

The reason why people don't like to watch movies with me is that I will tirelessly draw parallels between ANY movie and Harry Potter. It drives them all fucking crazy.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Five: Something Wicked

Lily Potter woke up not to a screaming infant and not to a coffee-deprived husband. It was of her own accord that her eyes opened on the morning of Hallow's Eve with a weird feeling buzzing around her head. The sun was still down, the sky was a dark lavender, and she considered getting up and making coffee - a ritual she did every morning followed by changing and feeding the baby and the cat, and giving her husband a good morning kiss.

Lily was a fan of order, or regularity, of schedule and guarantees. She liked knowing she was going to wake up the next day to repeat an accustomed cycle.

But right away when Lily woke up, she knew that whatever efforts she made towards normalcy that day do as much good as water in a cracked vase. It was pointless to even try to pretend.

Lily turned onto her hip to face her husband. He was incredibly long-statured, his one leg hanging off of the bed as he drowned in his sleep. Long arms, long legs, long fingers and toes... He was lean in every way, as well, with average shoulder width and narrow, boyish hips, but every inch of him had a firm, muscled second layer that defined his chest and biceps. He looked very much the same as the James Potter at Hogwarts, only with more facial hair.

Lily couldn't stand James's scruffiness before he shaved, but that morning it didn't bother her in the least.

Instead of whispering for him to wake up, or shaking him, she curled into his side and nuzzled his throat, feeling the coarse brush of his whiskers against his cheek and not minding it. She murmured softly to him, not wanting to disturb the sacred silence, mentally willing him to wake.

Moments later, his eyes were prying open and looked around, nonplussed and groggy. "Lils...?"

"Yes, James?"

"What time is it?" he yawned.

"I've no clue," she admitted.

James reached out to his bedside, searching for his glasses. "Has Harry woken?"

"No, not yet. I cast a Patronus to check on him, though. He's fine."

Nodding, James smiled sleepily at Lily. "You look beautiful this morning, love."

Despite Lily's usual snark and taunts, she blushed at the praise and said, "I'm sure I look a right mess."

"No, no," James insisted, stretching out his wiry arms. "The messy-haired and dark circles look works for you, darling."

Lily only smirked and rolled her eyes and tucked herself tighter into him, one palm rested on his chest next to her head. James stroked her hair, winding his fingers through the auburn and working them through the knots.

"James," she whispered.

"Hmm?" he murmured, obviously on his way back to sleep.

"I'm scared."

James's deep, chest-rising breath rattled underneath Lily's ear. She could hear every thud of his heart and every shift of his lungs. It was good to hear the pieces of him working like clockwork - a nice reminder that, right then, he was one hundred percent alive.

"So am I," he answered. The words were so quiet that Lily wondered at first if it'd just been an autumn wind whistling against their window or a hallucination. But he'd really said them. James Potter was confessing that he was afraid.

"But," James went on, his voice surer, "I have faith in Dumbledore, Hermione, and the Order. Tonight, everything will change for the better. And in ten years, we'll barely remember this nightmare when we're sending Harry off to school."

"I'm so... worried about Hermione," Lily said. "I admit, at first, I hated the girl, but now... now I just need her. And I..." She choked, the sentence trailing off. Closing her eyes, she tried composing herself.

"You...?" James prompted.

"I... I wish I could go back and change every word I ever said about her," Lily said thickly. "If I knew, if I had any clue, that she would do all of this for us and our family..."

James felt the first two tears from his wife's eyes hit his chest. He wrapped one arm tightly around her hip, bringing her closer, and the other cradled her head against his body. It was the way he held Harry when he got fussy and just needed that comfort that you got from being warmed by a person who loves you. It was one of the most magical feelings in the world.

"She's forgiven you," James said.

"That doesn't change the fact that I said those things..." Lily whimpered quietly. "And now... tonight..." _She's going to die, James. All this time, she's been prepared to die - for us, for the future, for Harry... _

But she was going to allow the man she loved to remain blissfully ignorant, even if only for a few more hours. After all, wasn't the agony they would all carry tomorrow morning enough already?

...~oOo~...

"It is going to be very simple," Dumbledore said. "Voldemort believes that the Potters are staying at the address Hermione gave him in Godric's Hollow. I will let him enter and won't appear until he realizes the house is empty. I am hoping his blind rage and already weakened state will be enough to neutralize him... permanently."

A nice way of saying he was going to kill him.

"And a duel will most certainly ensue," Dumbledore continued, pacing in front of his two trusted companions. "You will be hiding in the wings, just in case things get... out of hand."

Hermione said, "Albus... I'd like to propose a slightly different plan."

Dumbledore lifted one snow white eyebrow in curiosity. "What would you change, precisely?"

"When the Dark Lord enters the house, I should be one to emerge and end him," Hermione said firmly.

"Hermione..." Severus said, a warning in his voice.

"It's what I've been waiting for," Hermione said, her voice strong. She looked straight into Dumbledore's azure eyes, and proclaimed, "It's what I've worked for since I was thirteen. I _need_ to do this. And you know I can."

Dumbledore paused thoughtfully.

"You can't honestly be considering this," Severus hissed. "It is far too dangerous, and too much of a risk. If for whatever reason tonight is a failure, not only will the Dark Lord go free, but Hermione will be compromised. It's a fool's move."

Hermione couldn't help but glare at Severus. "You think I'll fail even after the Dark Lord has had half of his soul ripped from existence? Thank you for the vote of confidence, Sev, really."

"I'm not saying I don't believe you could," Severus amended, sneering still. "But the Dark Lord is cunning. He could escape mid-battle. And then you'd be hunted like an animal and we'll have to start over. At least Dumbledore has experience with winning duels against dark wizards."

"It is one thing to duel to kill," Albus said, "and it is another entirely to bring someone in alive. When I battled Grindelwald, my ambition was the latter - making it much more difficult. Dueling to the death is significantly easier, because there are no reserves or hesitations."

Severus's dark brows lowered as he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Please do not tell me you are saying what you think you are."

Dumbledore looked two both of his spies and said, "We will respect Hermione's wishes and allow her to do as she plans. It is not as if we could stop her, you realize. At least now we can spare us all the setback of Hermione doing something... rash."

"Again, the confidence you each instill in me is astounding," Hermione said sarcastically. "I _can _follow orders, after all! I'm not some irrational little girl."

"On the contrary," Severus said darkly, "that is exactly what you are."

...~oOo~...

The Order had all been advised to be on the ready that evening. Whatever happened once Lord Voldemort was brought down was unpredictable. There was no telling if the Death Eaters would be signaled once he fell or if that was a mess to take care of in the morning.

But Hermione had a terrible feeling that tonight there would be more than one duel. It was how she felt when the Death Eaters were invading Hogwarts when she fought side-by-side with Ron and Harry - like this was the final chance, the official ending, the back cover of a book ready to be clapped down to seal the volume forever.

The house nestled in the forest was empty when Hermione, Severus, and Albus arrived, as they expected. It was late afternoon, when select children were just starting to take part in the tradition of trick-or-treating.

Dumbledore immediately began lacing every window and wall with wards and protections for that night. Severus declared moodily that he would be putting on tea and Hermione took her time giving herself a tour of the home. The home where, in a different life, that Lily and James would have died in, and Harry scarred.

Walking up the stairs, she could almost envision a fallen James, eyes opened blankly and lifeless. And when she made it to the second story hall, a distinctive eeriness crawled up her spine, dancing over her vertebrae like a snake. She felt magnetized towards the specific room only a few steps in front of her.

When she twisted the knob and swung the door open, Hermione knew, somewhere deep inside, that this was the room where Lily Potter gave her life for her son's. Like the ghost of a different dimension, the foggy image of nursery furniture formed in her mind's eyes. A crib, a mobile, a changing table, a toy chest... A little boy with bright green eyes standing in his bed, giggling and waiting for his daddy to take him out to play on his training broom.

Hermione reached into her pocket and withdrew her shrunken jewelry box, but with a tap of her wand, it enlarged and she took out a piece of parchment and quill. In the empty room, she sat on the floor and began writing a letter.

A letter to Harry. Something that he would probably never read, something that she would probably destroy the moment she finished it. But it was just something that she felt she needed to do. She felt it in her bones.

_My dearest Harry,_

_I have so much to tell you. So much that cannot be properly put into words, even with all the ink and parchment in the world. And I am not entirely sure which "you" I'm writing to, either. I do not know whether to address this to infant Harry or the Boy Who Lived that I knew from so long ago. It feels like there's a lifetime between us now - a world separating us from our old friendship, and I miss you dearly. I miss you so much it hurts sometimes, but the moment I see your father I can see the ghost of you shining through. You are also in Lily's smile and affection. And when I look at the real you, the baby, I see the potential for you to change the world. _

_When I watch you and Ron together, babbling nonsense at one another as babies do, my past - or what once was the future - is not so fuzzy anymore. I can see our triumphs in your eyes, the laughter we shared, the heartbreaks we endured together. On one hand, it fills me with an unmanageable joy to relive our years together - even if they are only in my head - but on the other, it makes everything that much more confusing. Holding you, bouncing you, and making you smile makes me feel like I still have one foot firmly planted in the other timeline - OUR timeline. It's enough to drive me mad, to be honest. _

_My head had become a disaster zone lately. For a while, being with Remus and Sirius and your father was enough to create a lull where our timeline was but a dream, but little did I know it was only the calm before the storm. My head is a riot zone and sometimes, I'm afraid, I can't tell what's happening now from what's happened in the past. Did Fabian and Gideon truly die? Had Regulus defected or is he still a scared little boy? And sometimes when I look at you, too quickly or for too long, I swear I can see the tell-tale lightning bolt-shaped scar branded into your forehead. And I get so scared because I have to retrace my thoughts - what day is it? Where am I? What year? Have I missed something essential? How old is Harry? _

_Sometimes, I have to remind not to call Remus "Professor" when I get like that. How strange would that be? He'd think I'd finally lost it - which I have, of course, but I don't want Remus knowing that. Never Remus. _

_And never you. You don't remember, but a year ago your parents asked me to be your godmother. I made a vow to protect you, as did Sirius. And we will. I will. I promise._

_I would tell you all about the boy who slept in a cupboard under the stairs or the youngest Seeker of the century or of the Chosen One. But that boy doesn't exist anymore. He doesn't have to. You do not have to be anything you never wanted. You can be just as you've always wished: "Just Harry". _

_From the start, it had always been for you. Harry, I will protect you. I will miss you. I love you. _

_Always. _

_With all of my heart, _

_Whiskers_

...~oOo~...

The sky was painted with ink and in the distance children laughed. A Muggle once said that the first child's first laugh had shattered into a million pieces, creating fairies. It was an understandable assumption. Nothing was purer or as unpolluted as a child's laugh.

But a child's innocence was the same thing that made them blind. From behind the shield of their parents' legs, they could only see so much, delaying them from knowing the truth. With knowledge came contamination. One could not be powerful without falling from virtue. It was a double-edged sword. To remain innocent, but ignorant or become powerful but tainted?

But Tom Riddle had never had the choice. He was born blackened by the sins of his parents and what was already his destiny. His laugh never birthed fairies, only fear and manipulation.

Voldemort's feet stepped soundlessly over the forest earth, a hood hanging heavily over his face and body, becoming one with the dark. Not even the critters with night vision would have spotted him. He was invisible.

The house was in sight. The house was harbored the boy born to be his enemy. The boy that existed to destroy him, and he to destroy the boy. There had never been any hope for the boy. The boy's first breath in the mortal world had been a declaration of war, his first cries a sin towards Voldemort himself.

And Voldemort wasn't going to allow his only flaw to be a mere baby.

"You may have been born to oppose me," Voldemort whispered to himself, "but I was born for more."

He would make quick work of this. It was a troublesome errand that had to be done, that was how he thought of it. Like taking out trash. Dirty work.

A simple wave over the doorknob unfastened the latch and he grinned to himself. It was almost as if the Potters were asking him to come in it was so easy. Perhaps the talented wizards weren't all that they were made out to be, after all. The door creaked open and he stepped into the house.

Closing his eyes, he waited to hear footsteps or screams or at least harsh whispers from his targets... but there was nothing. For a long time, there was nothing.

Perhaps they were asleep?

Like taking candy from a -

Wait.

There the footsteps came, slow and steady. The footsteps had a confidence to them. Typical of James Potter, so he'd heard, but these weren't the footsteps of a man. Perhaps the clever and brave Lily?

But who stepped into the foyer was neither.

The silence stretched between them before he could utter, "Hermione?"

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

...~oOo~...

A/N. As always, favorite part and line? What do you think of the chapter? Are you excited or scared?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	66. The Hope Only of Empty Men

A/N. A long time ago, when I was receiving some fan-art from a very near-and-dear reader of mine, they proposed that in a hypothetical The Last Marauder movie, this era's Voldemort should be played by Michael Fassbender... HOW COOL IS THAT? IT'S SO TRUE, HE'D BE A FUCKING KICK-ASS VOLDEMORT! Especially in this chapter, I can SO imagine him!

I love Michael Fassbender with all my soul. Everything from X Men: First Class to Prometheus to Inglorious Bastards, he is the COOLEST mofo ever.

Just thought I'd share. OH. And I think the song for this chapter should be **Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine**.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, it probably wouldn't have been a success - I'm no J.K. Rowling.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Hope Only of Empty Men

The shield that went up around Voldemort flicked the killing curse away easily, as if it'd been nothing but a pesky fly.

But Hermione could see the calculation in the Dark Lord's eyes. He wasted no time with denial. He knew immediately that he'd been betrayed.

"Well, well," he purred, his eyes darkening a dozen shades. His normally deep irises were filled with black, like the pupils had swallowed the color. "I must admit, this is quite the surprise."

"Is it?" Hermione said shakily, his wand drawn forward, ready to be offensive or defensive.

Voldemort held his wand with the laziness of someone who didn't have a care in the world. Even with half of a soul, the man was cocky. "Is it safe to presume you were responsible for the destruction of my Horcruxes the other night?"

Hermione nodded and wordlessly shot a disarming spell, which he shielded easily once more. A low rumble of a laugh brewed in his chest and released into the room like a noxious gas. "You have to be better than that!" he mocked. "After all, I _made_ you. Please, give my tutoring skills some credit. Or at least Lucius's."

"You did not make me!" Hermione growled and a hex burst from her wand like a crack of lightning, and Voldemort blocked it at the last second.

His confident smile slipped down into a menacing frown, the air around him going frigid. "You would be nothing without me," he said deeply, answering her hex with a curse that Hermione stepped out of the way of before sending one back.

This was like a tennis match, Hermione thought with frustration. They were trading curses and hexes, but with no damage done, as if he was purposely dangling a victory in front of her, taunting her like a cat with feathers. She knew this was playtime for him, a simple warm-up, if you may.

This was the stretch before the sprint before the marathon.

But Voldemort was bored very easily. With a flick of his hand, Hermione was tossed backwards before he brought down the wall she'd slammed into, crushing her. She burst from the rubble of the wall with a flash of dark blue, the rings of aftershock knocking Voldemort around the knees. Hermione took the opportunity to knock him on his back.

Before Voldemort could recover, Hermione blasted the chain holding the small chandelier to the foyer ceiling, sending the crystal down and onto his body. The crystal shattered.

But with a wrathful scream from the Dark Lord, the broken chandelier on top of him burst into dust like a mushroom cloud.

Everything felt off for Hermione. Like the air around her was against her, like her body wasn't in sync with her brain. Voldemort was in a weakened state, yes, but she was imbalanced for some reason. Where she was supposed to have the upper-hand, they were no evenly matched.

Which was bad.

...

Severus was taut with undiluted fear. Albus stood beside him, calm and collected, listening and watching the duel below them through the floor, but Severus was ready to jump into the fight minutes ago. But Dumbledore had held him back.

"Don't you see?" Severus hissed. "Something isn't right with her. She's... weak. We have to go in."

"You cannot be compromised if Hermione fails," Dumbledore told him calmly.

"_I don't a fuck about being compromised_," Severus spat with the venom of a rattlesnake. "Hermione needs me."

Shaking his head slowly, Dumbledore said, "Hermione doesn't need anyone, Severus."

Even Severus knew that wasn't true. Everyone needed someone. It was human nature. He himself had denied that reality for a long time, but when he was young he'd needed Lily. And as an adult he needed Hermione - his comrade, his partner... his friend.

Severus gave Dumbledore the deadliest sneer he could and hissed, "_I won't let you take this away from me too_."

...

A curse that Hermione had never seen before - and looked rather nasty - shot from behind her and at the Dark Lord. She spun to see the owner of the curse and when she sound Severus standing there, wearing a white Oxford shirt, untucked with trousers, she admitted that she'd never seen a more beautiful sight. Severus was a godsend.

Hermione had been wrong. She couldn't do this alone.

The Dark Lord cackled as she stepped away from the curse and said, "You too! Why am I not surprised? Perhaps Lucius is part of your jolly crew of traitors too, hmm?"

"Appallingly, no," Severus intoned, flicking out another curse. "We considered offering him a membership, but he whines far too much."

A new... _something_ washed over Hermione. No clue what it was, but it was good. It expanded from her chest to her elbows to her toes to her fingertips. And it was a powerful feeling.

A three-way duel is not as easy as it sounds. Spells hit one another instead of the opponent, creating small explosions that blind both sides momentarily. The lines between offense and defense become blurred. Spells rebound at the wrong person.

Voldemort was visibly weakening. His panting increased, his wandless and non-verbal magic came slower, making it easier to predict how to counter every curse. Severus and Hermione worked themselves into a rhythm, like a well-oiled machine. Grunting and grinding their teeth, they put every inch of muscle, every ounce of energy into every spell, curse, and hex they casted.

Albus Dumbledore, still watching on from above, was overwhelmed with pride for his pupils. Two very clever children had evolved into soldiers and outstanding sorcerers.

"AAAAAARGH!" the Dark Lord bellowed, a large wall of magic exploding from his body and deflecting Hermione and Severus's curses, as well as knocking his opponents backward.

With the rush of whatever had come from Voldemort, Hermione flew back, knocking into Severus and had them both skidding backwards on the floor.

In a flash of ebony robes, the Dark Lord was over them, his face contorted into a manic smile, every last one of his teeth on display, and his eyes as wide as solar systems.

"Your efforts," he gritted out, sounding exhausted and victorious, "were... for nothing. Admirable, but _stupid_." The Dark Lord's free hand, trembling, raked back through his hair. "What a shame it will be when your bodies are found and the Marks are found on your body. The wizarding world will know you as traitors.

"All your perseverance is amusing, admittedly. As if you could kill me. Even if you did, this wouldn't be over."

Hermione was lying on her back, half on top of Severus, and that's how she was going to stay. She would shield Severus until the end. She was quivering, though, and as every person thinks before their death, five words traversed across her mind.

_I don't want to die..._

But she was going to. That, she knew. She felt Severus tense beneath her, and she snaked one hand out to grip his hand. Hermione wasn't sure if it was for his comfort or for hers, but it certainly instilled a calm inside of her.

Human touch was a remarkable thing, as I've claimed before. Babies know the hands of their mothers before anything else and the embrace or pat of a father is unique to every child. The same skin that can sooth and heal can main and bruise.

And the hand of a friend when you are about to die can... make everything just a little better.

"Any last words?" the Dark Lord asked.

Hermione closed her eyes, squeezing out a few tears she hadn't known formed. Words? Her mind couldn't comprehend words. Only pictures and feelings, only understanding the firm hold of Severus's hand. But finally, she knew what she wanted to say.

If she was going to die, she might as well go out with a bang.

"I have a secret to tell you, Tom," Hermione said, her voice steady and cool, the complete opposite of her mind. "It's one of my biggest secrets."

Voldemort watched on, his expression unchanging.

"My parents," Hermione said with a hint of pride, "were Muggles."

The Dark Lord's face went blank for a split second as Hermione couldn't hide a smile. Then, Voldemort, with a deafening scream, raised his wand and Hermione curled into Severus...

Without warning, Severus flipped Hermione under him and shouted faster than his lord could, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Hermione read and saw everything through a tunnel as the back of her head smacked into the tile floor beneath Severus. It felt like her ears had popped, as if she'd suddenly been drastically raised in altitude, and her sight had a blurry black frame around it.

But still, she watched over Severus's shoulder as Tom Riddle's body stilled, every trace of color he had evaporating from his skin, his eyes going dead. And he fell, toppling over lifelessly. His eyes looked like glass as they drained of their black color and faded into a milky white, his hair falling out and blowing away like dandelion seeds.

And when he finally hit the floor, with the impact, his dissolved into a black cloud of dust.

Just as Tom Riddle became nothing more than a memory, Hermione's arm exploded into pain. As did Severus's.

Hermione screamed in pain and Severus grunted, gripping his forearm so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Dumbledore appeared next to them. "What's wrong?"

"The Death Eaters," Severus ground out. "They know he's dead. And I'd bet anything... they're on their way."

...~oOo~...

The Order of the Phoenix headquarters was in mass hysteria. They were frantically contacting any trusted duelists they knew from the multiple Floo points in the very large manor house. reinforcements were flooding in, being debriefed and updated.

Severus was at the Death Eater meeting, which was apparently as hectic as the Order's. It was chaos. The Death Eaters were planning an attack on Dumbledore, the one they'd assumed killed their master with some gentle nudging from Severus.

As every fireplace continued to spontaneously flare green with new arrivals, Hermione was running through the masses of people looking for the people she needed most. She was trying to ask around, but everyone was so busy and distracted no one heard her cries for the Marauders over the incessant buzzing of noise.

Hermione's heart was ricocheting with panic. Her body ached, her face was bleeding, she was bruised everywhere, but she barely noticed. She needed to go to the Potters, or Grimauld, or the Lupin house - she needed to find them! She was sprinting towards a Floo when she heard, just barely over the nonstop talking, "Hermione!"

She spun around and found Remus. Running off pure adrenaline, she ran so fast it was a blur into his arms, holding him in a bruising embrace, which he reciprocated.

"You're alive... you're alive..." he kept murmuring, kissing her hair a dozen times between breaths as he just kept saying, "You're alive."

"Have you seen James and Lily?"

"I went to their house before coming here," Remus said. "They're safe - all three of them are safe. James and Lily were having a screaming match, though. Lily wanted to drop off Harry at Andromeda's and come prepare with the rest of us, but James wasn't having it."

"Andromeda is here, though!" Hermione said. She'd just seen her cousin with her husband among the crowds of new arrivals.

Remus nodded. "Sirius said the same thing. Lily knows that she needs to stay with Harry, James will make her see sense."

"Where is Sirius?"

"Around here somewhere," Remus said, his hands going to Hermione's cheeks and looking down into her eyes. "But Hermione._ What happened_?"

All the blood was sucked from her face as Hermione thought of the fallen Lord Voldemort. It'd been less than an hour ago. "S... Severus... Severus killed him," Hermione sputtered. "I don't know h-how it happened. One second, I was shielding Severus and the next... Severu killed him. Honestly, it doesn't make much sense right now."

Remus's grace expression was unwavering. He nodded. "Good man."

"He was... incredible," Hermione remarked, in a sort of daze. "I thought... I thought I was dead, but... he saved me."

Remus kissed Hermione hard on the mouth, trying to relay to her everything he couldn't say, for there was no words. She was alive...

"I've got to give Snape one of those later too," Remus said when they parted with a rueful smile.

Hermione half-laughed and half-snorted incredulously at the situation.

One-hundred and eighty pounds of solid muscle crashed into Hermione from behind, knocking the wind out of her. When she turned her head, she found Sirius latched onto her like a bear, his face buried into her hair. He said nothing, but Hermione knew how he felt. She stroked his hands and let him hug her.

"Okay, time to get down to business," Sirius said once he let go, wiping furiously at his welling eyes. "What exactly is going on?"

"Snape killed Voldemort," Remus reported.

"No shit," Sirius said, godsmacked. "You're kidding."

"He's not," Hermione said.

"Hmm... Snivellus had it in him after all."

"And now the Death Eaters are having a meeting," Hermione said, "in which they are planning an immediate counterattack on the Order. Severus has been ordered to reveal the location of headquarters to the Death Eaters and get them to come here. Then, at least, we have what the Americans would say is a home field advantage."

"That expression never made any sense to me," Sirius confessed, blinking.

"Home turf, Sirius!" Remus explained. "We have the advantage because they don't know anything about the layout of Mould-on-the-Wold. We, however, do!"

"Oh, okay, that makes sense," Sirius said, nodding comprehensively. "So a bunch of fucking Death Eater scum are going to pop up here any minute?"

"Severus will give us a ten-minute warning," Hermione said.

Remus's brow furrowed. "If he's entering with the rest of the Death Eaters, how is he going to let us know in advance?"

Hermione smirked. "Trust me. We'll know."

"Oi! Who started the bloody party without me?!"

"JAMES!" Remus, Sirius, and Hermione all exclaimed in unison.

"The one and only," James said, giving his lopsided, cocky smile. "Well, actually, there are thousands of Jameses... but, I'm the only one that matters. What the fuck is going on and how can I help?"

They went through the story again and even James looked impressed to hear the man that he hated more than anyone killed the Dark Lord.

"But, I have some bad news," Hermione said.

"The most evil dark wizard of all time is dead," Sirius said. "I'm pretty sure that outweighs whatever you're going to say."

"He... he might not be dead."

"I KNEW SNIVELLY WASN'T THAT GOOD!" Sirius snapped.

"No, no!" Hermione said. "But you all know about the Horcruxes, right?"

"Yes, and you destroyed all of them," James said, gesturing for her to go on and start making sense.

"Well, when Voldemort was about to kill me and Severus, he said that even if we'd succeeded in killing him, this wouldn't be over," Hermione said, working through it all in her head. "I think... I think there's another Horcrux."

"Fuck," Remus muttered.

"Yes," Hermione said, biting her lip hard. "'Fuck', indeed."

...~oOo~...

A/N. Here comes the final battle! Were you guys worrying it was over? HAH! Of course not! There's still SO MUCH to resolve, and I promise that every question you have WILL BE ANSWERED! Favorite part and line?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	67. Between the Idea & the Reality

A/N. ARE... YOU... READY... TO... RUMBLE! Sorry, but I had to.

Today I watched the Island of Dr. Moreau, starring (you guessed it) DAVID THEWLIS. If you've watched that movie, David at that age is EXACTLY how I picture Remus when I write this story. You can even google "Young David Thewlis" and you'll see what I mean. He was/is GORGEOUS. I want to snuggle him.

Recap: Voldy's dead - Sev killed him. Hermy, our heroine, thinks there's another Horcrux. Dumbles, for whatever reason, didn't even bother getting in the middle of the duel (fuck'd up, right!) and Pads and Moony and Prongs love their Hermy and are about to try and find the final Horcrux AND there's a bunch of evil peeps comin' round for battle, yo.

(The above paragraph is the most disgraceful thing I've ever written in my life. My excuse: It is 11 at night and I've gotten exactly 2 and a half hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. Which probably isn't healthy.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, it would've ended differently. TRUST me.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Between the Idea & the Reality

Standing on the widow's walk jutting from the roof, Hermione took a deep breath of the risk October air. It was a windy Halloween night... or rather, midnight has passed, so Halloween had already been put to rest for another year. She remembered the days when Halloween meant a massive feast and Peeves's greatest pranks. The days when the day brought great anticipation and excitement.

Hermione leaned on the railing and stared down into the road, waiting to see the masses of Death Eaters, werewolves, and vampires appear.

"Rough night, huh?"

Hermione almost fell right over the railing when she turned and saw a very tall, broad-shouldered ginger man. Hermione's eyes were wide and her lips were the color of milk.

"F-F... Fabian?" she said. She wondered if she really had gone off the deep end this time.

"Who else would it be?" he chuckled, leaning against the railing with her.

"Um... someone alive?"

Fabian shrugged. "You win some, you lose some. I'd give you a hug, but, uh, that's kind of difficult in my current... state."

"So... you're a ghost?"

"I prefer the term angel," Fabian said with a smile. "I always like the concept of Heaven and a God. Sounds nice."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that.

"But alas, here I am," Fabian said. "Makes you wonder. But that's not important right now. We need to do something about your Horcrux problem."

Hermione sighed and felt hopeless. "It could be anything. Literally, anything. I can't just got around setting everything on fire until I get lucky."

"Let's think about this logically, though," Fabian said. "Something small, easily concealable, and usually hidden in a place he trusts or has a history with. And he had to make it more recently."

Hermione shrugged. "It's hopeless. I came here to stop all of this from happening again, but if I can't find that Horcrux... well, to put it nicely, we're screwed. Harry's screwed. The entirely wizarding world is screwed."

"That's a lot of screwing."

"Not helping."

Fabian grinned and said, "Funny thing, screwing. Sex, I mean, not when you're building stuff and use screws. It takes a lot of trust to have sex. You're in your most vulnerable state."

Hermione gave her ghost companion a blunt look. "If you've come from beyond to talk to me about sex, you really need to learn about timing."

Fabian put up both of his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is that Voldemort was a complex guy. He hated anything that made him weak, that's why he tried making himself invincible. Yet... he trusted you and made you his mistress."

"I honestly don't think that trust had much to do with that arrangement," Hermione said.

Fabian shrugged. "Just a thought. I have faith in you, Hermione. You can make this work. When in doubt, start stripping."

"Why would I do that?"

"If your wand doesn't kill them, your body will surely knock them dead," he said with a wink.

Hermione groaned, but laughed. "That is the worst chat-up line I've ever heard. Do womankind a favor and don't use that one in heaven."

"Fair enough." Fabian reaching out, and his disembodied hand ghosted over her hair in what should have been a caress. "Go and get them, tiger. Show them who's boss."

And when Hermione blinked, he was gone.

...~oOo~...

Remus climbed the narrow, rickety stairwell up through the attic. The many stories below him harbored people - witches and wizards - all saying goodbyes and giving beautiful, life-altering speeches that lifted spirits and instilled a great collection of energy and determination.

Well, Remus had heard enough rallying oratories in his young life and he never cared much for goodbyes. So he went out in search of the one person who could understand everything he felt and thought just by a simple look. And in turn, he understood them in the same way.

Sometimes... silence is all one needs.

Remus opened the door and smiled when he saw exactly who he'd been expecting. She was leaning on the railing, her back to him, and she didn't turn but continued to stare downward into the street. She must have been deep in thought.

Remus couldn't imagine there was a single person in the universe who could look as good as Hermione did in only jeans and a jumper.

"An interesting Patronus arrived only a minute ago," Remus said before he could get too distracted in his fantasies. Because the only thing better than Hermione in jeans and a jumper was Hermione without jeans and a jumper... or anything.

Pulled from her reverie, Hermione turned her head, her eyebrows popped upward. "Severus?"

"One can assume," Remus hedged. "Although, James isn't too happy."

"It isn't his fault his Patronus is a doe," Hermione said in Severus's defense automatically. "And he doesn't still love Lily, if that's what everyone's thinking, he just..."

Hermione didn't exactly know how to explain it. In reality, Severus did probably still love Lily, but for some reason it was... different.

Remus shrugged. "You don't need to tell me about the complexities of the heart," he said, walking forward and leaning on the railing beside her. "I'm quite experienced, in case you've forgotten."

"Indeed, the King of Angst remains your title, darling," Hermione said with a tired smile.

"No, that's Sirius's," Remus denied. "I am merely the Page of Angst. And you are the Princess. My Princess." He dropped a kiss onto Hermione's head and stroked her head once. He paused and then said, "According to my watch, Severus's ten minute warning is going to expire in about five."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess... we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"Hermione, I want you to do me a favor," Remus said slowly.

Hermione frowned.

Remus went on anyway. "I want you to stay out of the fight as much as possible."

"Remus, I can't -"

"Please, Hermione," he said firmly, using an authoritative tone... much like a professor's. "I have this very strong feeling. I beg of you, do not enter the fight until absolutely necessary. Do you understand me?"

Hermione looked so reluctant, it was almost painful, but pressed her lips together and nodded. With a large sigh of relief, Remus took her hand and pressed his mouth to the top of it, murmuring, "Hermione, my love... my everything."

And two minutes later, their time ran out.

...~oOo~...

Sirius Black body was spiked with adrenaline. His blood was soaring in his ears and he could feel the drumming of his pulse at his jugular. One could almost mistake this feeling for excitement, but it was actually...

Oh, who am I kidding? This is Sirius. Of course it was excitement.

He was checking his watch practically every half-minute. He was stationed at the very entrance of the manor, creating a blockade with James at his side, standing straight and looking forward, his lips in a thin line - but Sirius knew better, he saw James's hazel eyes glistening with the same hungry anticipation.

Remus jogged up from behind, taking his place on Sirius's other side, his wand gripped in his hand like everyone else.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow?" Sirius inquired tauntingly.

"Sirius," Remus said with a small, knowing smile, "I cannot wait until you fall in love."

Sirius said nothing to that.

McGonagall was also a part of the blockade, the front line, and she called out in that firm, Scottish brogue, "One minute! Brace yourselves!"

The rest of the line of more than a dozen witches and wizards raised their wands.

"Godspeed, brothers," James murmured, just loud enough for his Marauders to hear.

Sirius and Remus only nodded.

Sirius saw Andromeda grip her husband's hand at the corner of his eye.

Forty seconds...

Remus glanced behind him up at the widow's walk. It was now empty. He sighed and looked forward once more.

Thirty seconds...

James twists his wedding ring before clenching his left hand into a fist.

Twenty seconds...

Sirius saw all of it. The silent goodbyes. Everyone had someone to say goodbye to, except him. He didn't even know who he was fighting for, really. He didn't have a special person to dedicate his fight to.

Ten seconds...

Then Sirius saw a little boy's face flash clearly in the forefront of his head. Messy hair and green eyes. His godson.

Five seconds...

It was amazing, having a purpose besides the world for fighting. Someone to making living seem not so bad.

Three...

The pictures in his head came faster now.

Two...

Hermione. Remus. Lily. James. Fabian. Gideon. Harry.

One.

Great columns of smoke poured from the sky, hitting the ground violently and leaving a Death Eater in its wake. The smoke rained down, creating a formation of black-cloaked figures, skeletal masks adorning their faces. They fit in perfectly for Halloween night.

A large gap stood between the Order and the Death Eaters, but as more and more cloaks appeared, their march hastened so by the time they were so close that the Order could smell death on their breaths, the Death Eaters covered the entire front lawn of the manor and much more beyond. Their ranks were vast, and it only got worse.

Lumbering giants and ogres followed behind like pathetic puppies at their masters' will, dragging clubs and maces.

They didn't only close in from the front of the house. No. From the sides were vampires. From the back were werewolves and trolls. And before you could say "Merlin help us", the manor of Mould-on-the-Wold was surrounded.

But the Order had the fort, and the holder of the fort had control.

It was impossible who cast the first curse, because all at once, every wizard and creature erupted. The Death Eaters sprinted forward, yelling unintelligibly as the Order stood their ground, countering and casting. Wands blazed and mouths screamed. The two forces, the masked and the pure-hearted clashed physically together.

The battle had begun.

...

Hermione was running down steps when the entire manor shook and pieces of the ceiling started breaking loose and falling onto heads.

Something large had just landed on the roof. There was a screech somewhere on the first floor, the kind of screech that you only heard before you had to clean up a body.

Battle cries split through Hermione's head as she continued galloping down the stairs. The widow's walk had been too high up - she couldn't watch or defend from so far away. The second story was her best bet.

But like Hogwarts, the stairs of the manor moved. You never arrived at the destination you were expecting. It was infuriating as Hermione tried again and again to arrive at the front of the house on the second - not third, not fourth, and not first - floor.

Then, as Hermione stepped onto another landing in another mystery corridor in an unknown wing, hands grabbed her from the shadows and yanked her. Hermione elbowed the person into the nose, eliciting a crunch and a growl.

A very familiar growl.

"Damn it, Hermione," the man snarled. "I've been looking for you everywhere and you greet me by _breaking my nose_."

"Severus!" Hermione gasped in relief, throwing her arms around him for a quick, hard second before pulling away and said, "What's happening?"

"It's impossible to tell right now," Severus said, "but the numbers are not in our favor."

" 'Our' meaning the Order or the Death Eaters?"

"The Order," Severus replied grimly.

"Who's running the show on our other front?"

Severus smirked. "Me. With Lucius as my 'right hand'. Bellatrix is playing general, though."

Hermione visibly paled. "That's never good. But I'm afraid I have worse news."

Severus's frown deepened, if that was possibly. "Can it possibly wait until... oh, my, I don't know, my _funeral_?"

"There's another Horcrux," Hermione said all in one harsh breath. "I just know it."

"Hermione, there has never been a single person who has tracked in more trouble than you in my life," Severus said. "And that is coming from _me_."

...

The parlor of the manor became the sick room very quickly. It was easily accessible with multiple entrances, including one from the outside, and had a lot of floor space.

Within the first half hour Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey had many patients. Essence of Dittany was being used by the pint, blood smeared across the floorboards from the dragged victims.

"We need more Healers," Poppy said as she held back tears while trying to mend an unidentifiable wizard's face. It was so marred, like freshly ground meat, she had never seen something so gruesome in her days as a medi-witch.

Professor Sprout was reattaching an unconscious witch's arm and said, "There is no one else! We must make do."

As if by a miracle, the Floo flared and in came one of the only certifiable Healers in the Order.

Lily Potter.

...

James watched in horror as Sirius literally climbed up the back of a giant. The giant was flailing and roaring and trying to reach Sirius, but giants were bulky and not the most flexible of creatures.

"SIRIUS, ARE YOU INSANE?!" James screamed as he quickly stupefied a gremlin-like creature hurtling at him.

The battle field was stained with crimson. Bodies were fallen, many missing body parts, some with only heads left behind. The insistent sounds of curses whipped and crashing popped eardrums and became a buzz of background noise.

Sirius's cackle could be heard from every corner of the battle, the sound of a man truly gone mad. "OF COURSE I AM, JAMIE!" was the faint response.

From Sirius's perch on the giant's shoulder, he could see everything. It was dark, but there was enough light from sparkling spells and the manor's torches to make out the situation while the giant swung and bellowed and tried to throw him off.

It didn't look good for the Order in all honestly. Many had retreated indoors, along with most of the Death Eaters, but defending at the front, as valiantly as ever was Dorcas who always shined in dueling. He could make out Ted Tonks as well and Molly Weasley and Dumbledore himself, his peacock patterned robes billowing around him. It was hard to laugh as peacock patterns when they were worn by one of the greatest wizard of all time.

When Sirius cast the petrifying spell on the giant just then, he hadn't been thinking. Why would a perfectly clever young man like Sirius be stupid enough to petrify a thirty-foot giant when he was still on his shoulder? One could only imagine, but as the creature began to go down like a monument, Sirius felt the panic.

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself to be crushed into a pancake, when a flying something swooped under the arch of the giant's fall, snatching Sirius out of the way.

"James! Where the fuck did you get a blood broom?" Sirius demanded, still in shock.

"I am always prepared, Pads," James said with a wink, bringing them to the ground only to be immediately accosted by two shadowesque figures wearing masks.

And the battle continued.

...~oOo~...

A/N. Holy shit! So the battle is going! What do you guys think? What do you think is going to happen? Favorite part and line? Give me your thoughts!

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	68. The Crashes of Heaven

A/N. Sorry about the delay! But I hope this makes up for the wait.

In that last chapter, Sirius says, "blood broom" - I meant "bloody broom". I know that that was probably one the of most unnoticeable of typos, but it bothered me because the "y" key on my keyboard gets stuck VERY easily and doesn't always like to work.

So in continuation of my David Thewlis movie marathon, I watched the Inner Life of Martin Frost, where David Thewlis plays a writer (named Martin Frost) who goes to a friend's vacation home to clear his head when he gets a very unexpected visitor, a young woman who claims to have also been promised the use of the home. It's a brilliant, sweet, lovely little indie movie romance - completely harmless in every sense of the word. It's a little strange, but I loved it. It starred Irene Jacob and Michael Imperioli as well.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Crashes of Heaven

Lily was crying. The water was blurring her vision, but she hastily tried swiping it away. She had to keep going. She had to help those who could still be helped.

_You're a Healer, you idiot! People die all the time, you need to learn to not let it interrupt you work!_

But how could she? After tireless efforts, the crushed, mangled body of Dorcas Meadowes was irreparable. She had been in the middle of a one-on-one with a troll.

Lily was rolling a sheet over her, so that even on the floor she could have a little of the respect she deserved when Lily saw Dorcas's hand curled in, her fingers broken into the position. Carefully, gently, Lily pealed each shattered finger away and found, sitting in Dorcas's hand a watch.

A watch with a G sitting in the face.

...

The Death Eater hit the ground with the grace of a sac of flour, his black robes fluttering around him as he fell. And once he was down, the mask of his face dissolved and disappeared, revealing the face beneath.

Remus, breathing heavily, his heart pumping, walked over and looked down at his fallen opponent. His stomach twisted with nausea when he recognized the man. Theo Nott was motionless and breathing no more.

Remus took a moment to silently... well, he wasn't sure. He just took a moment. He just killed a man who he'd gone through Hogwarts with, even though they were distanced by their Houses and friend choice, and barely said two words to one another.

But Remus was quickly distracted from Nott when he heard the shrill shriek of a woman. He turned and found one Amelia Bones being thrown down by a gruesome, hairy man whom Remus was all too familiar with.

Remus, blood boiling, cast a bright blue light at Greyback, throwing the older werwolf back and off of Amelia.

"Run," Remus told Amelia, bracing his wand at Greyback. "Run and go to the Healers. You've been scratched."

Scrambling up, Amelia took only a moment of reluctance before nodding and sprinting away.

Remus watched as Greyback picked himself off the ground. The full moon was the very next day, so both lycanthropes were throbbing with a barely contained energy, their eyes glowing dangerously.

"Hello, cub," Greyback growled, a manic smile twisting his face. His cracked and crooked teeth were bared like fangs.

"Good evening, Greyback," Remus said simply, his wand still pointed at the man who infected him.

The older werewolf howled out a laugh and said, "If we fight, leave your puny wand out of it."

"Oh, we will most definitely fight," Remus assured him, never lowering his wand. "But I'm no animal."

"But you are, Little Lupin," Greyback laughed. "You truly are." And Greyback flew towards Remus, snarling.

...

Hermione was running through the thick of the fighting indoors. The foyer was packed with duels and attacks as well as many corridors. The house shook with every blast, windows rattling with the impact.

Little did Hermione know that as she sprinted, she had someone on her tail.

When Hermione busted into the empty ballroom, it was dark and untouched by the battle. Severus had run back out into the battle to look for Lucius, but he'd instructed her to find someplace safe for the time being, but somewhere she could see the battle and have access to return to it.

Severus knew something was wrong with Hermione. Hermione knew there was something wrong with Hermione, not that she'd ever admit it. But every since the two spies' duel with the Dark Lord, Severus just sensed a weakening in Hermione's energy and precision. She was clumsier and less focused.

So Hermione decided she would try and head up to the servants' quarters. The entrance was through the ballroom and they had plenty of windows to keep and eye out on what was happening. Hermione's footsteps echoed through the cavernous room, the practice area for the Order, as she hurried towards the door to the stairs.

What she hadn't been expecting was she would be hit with overbearing agony in the middle of the room. Hermione crumbled to the floor with a shocked scream and began seizing on the tile floor.

When Hermione struggled to look behind her while the blinding pain wracked through her, Hermione saw the culprit.

Bellatrix Lestrange's face was curled into disgust, but her eyes danced with a sadistic enjoyment.

"I always knew you were a traitor," Bellatrix hissed. "I never trusted you, with your teacher's pet attitude and your filthy attachment to blood traitors and half-breeds. You were never as loyal as me and yet he chose _you_ as his plaything!" Bellatrix released the Cruciatus to petrify her.

Hermione was having flashbacks of being forced flat on the floor in Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix torturing her and cutting her and while Hermione could only scream and never tell. Hermione's stomach clenched so hard she thought she would vomit, but she could make not a single movement under Bellatrix's spell.

"I am going to kill you, my lovely," Bellatrix purred, kneeling down beside Hermione. "I am going to kill you here, in this empty room, and no matter how you scream no one will hear you over the battle. And tomorrow, when Greyback makes his Change, you can be his snack. No one will know what happened to you. They will think you fled like a coward."

As Bellatrix spoke, the spell was wearing off from the crazy woman's lack of focus on her magic, and Hermione inched her hand towards her dropped wand. Once she gripped it, Hermione countered the petrification non-verbally and then screamed, "STUPENDO!"

Bellatrix flew back and up into the chandelier. She crashed to floor as the chadelier tinkled liked bells, dropping a few shards of crystal.

"BLOOD-TRAITOR BITCH!" Bellatrix screeched, raising her wand and attacking Hermione.

Hermione barely blocked the spell, but it still knocked her off of her balance.

Hermione felt sick and imbalanced still, like her head was a boat in the middle of a maelstrom, being overcome by water and lightning, thunder rocking her overboard. Hermione fought to stay afloat.

As Hermione tried to keep from fainting, there was a metallic pop and suddenly Hermione was being hit from both sides by shards of glass. Bellatrix laughed as she willed the giant picture windows on either side of Hermione to implode.

Hermione ran forward, covering her face from the glass, but Bellatrix did the same with the next two windows and the next and so forth, hitting Hermione every time. It was like having needles shot at her, only thicker, so that every little knick, scrape, and stab was noticed.

Hermione wasn't going to play the punching bag any longer. Lifting her wand, Hermione straightened her back and grounded her feet. She looked up at Bellatrix, half of her face dribbling with blood, little slices of window embedded in her flesh.

Bellatrix laughed, the sound ricocheting off the walls. "The baby wants to play? Then let's play."

...

Sirius was leaning heavily on James as they dragged both their frames into the makeshift infirmary in the parlor.

Madame Pomfrey said, "Sirius Black, what have you done now?!"

Sirius smiled. Some things just never changed with good old Poppy.

James said, "The idiot thought it was a good idea to go wrestle a gremlin."

Poppy rolled her eyes and poured Dittany on the victim she was currently working on. "Take a seat, Black. I'll be with you in a moment."

And then James spotted red hair across the room, bent over a moaning Order member.

"Lily!" James snapped, striding over. His face was smudged with dirt and he had a cut through hi shoulder, but was otherwise in good shape. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay home!"

Lily sneered up at him as she finished wrapping the wounded man's gaping curse marks. "I couldn't stay home while I knew my friends and family were out here dying."

"Where's Harry?" she demanded.

"The oldest Bones girl is watching all of the kids tonight, Tonks, the Weasleys, and Harry. He's fine, James," LIly said, sounding frustrated. She stood up and James cringed. She was covered in blood and over slimes, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and looking like she was ready to crack skulls.

"Lily, I want you to go home," James said quietly. "The battle is winding down. It's almost over. Sprout and Poppy have this under control."

"I. Am. Not. Leaving," she hissed, her brilliant green eyes darkening to the color of forest trees at nighttime. "They need me. I'm a Healer, James, this is what I _do_."

James sighed and massaged his temples. This is what he got for marrying the most stubborn woman he knew. He changed the subject. "Have you seen Remus or Hermione?"

Slowly, Lily shook her head. "They haven't been through here. Which is a good thing, right?" She sounded so hopeful, it squeezed James's heart.

James nodded for his wife's benefit, but realistically, a lot of the bodies that were beyond saving were being left where they laid for now. If everyone stopped and brought in every dead body they found, there would be no battle. The casualties were high.

If Remus and Hermione were dead, most likely no one would bother dragging them into the infirmary when there were bigger things to be worried about.

James took a deep breath. "I'm going back out. Just... stay safe, alright? I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Lily smirked. "I'm not sure what you would do either, honestly."

James ducked his head and pressed a tender kiss to his wife's mouth. The pressure was sweet and made Lily believe that everything would be alright.

When James broke away, he said, "When this is over, we are giving Harry a little sister. No arguments!" He gave the love of his life a smile before walking over to pat Sirius on the shoulder, and enter the war once more.

...

Hermione and Bellatrix were trading curses in rapid fire. They wanted this to be over. They wanted a quick victory.

But Bellatrix's hastiness made her sloppy, making it slightly easier for Hermione to retaliate.

Bellatrix snapped. She hurled herself at Hermione, tackling the other woman to the ground. Hermione bit down a cry of pain when her back dug into the glass littering the floor like shiny, lethal snow. Hermione forced all of her wait into Bellatrix and slammed the crazy woman down, satisfied when she screamed at the stabbing in her back. Bellatrix gripped Hermione's hair in a vice clutch and ripped her to the side and slapped Hermione's face to the shards and tile.

From Bellatrix's robes she drew a shiny, silver blade with an intricately carved handle and a glittering dagger. She held Hermione down with all of her body, holding the tip of the blade to the point in her throat that her pulse hummed.

"And to think," Bellatrix said with a growl, "our lord one gloated about how your talent outshone all of ours. And now, the universe will know, he could not have been more wrong."

Just as Bellatrix raised the blade, Hermione transformed. Her body shrunk and scurried in a blur out of Bellatrix's grip, leaping up into the woman's mass of black curls and began clawing mercilessly.

Bellatrix shrieked as Hermione's Animagus form dragged her claws down her eyes, clouding her vision with dripping scarlet.

Once Bellatrix was screaming for his loss of sight, grabbing at her face and trying to wipe away the blood, Hermione quickly transformed back and lifted the blade from where it fell. She pushed Bellatrix down, straddled her and held the blade of her heart.

"I may have to die," Hermione rasped, "but I won't let it be by your hand." And she plunged the blade downward into Bellatrix's black heart.

...

James was in a corridor after helping a paralyzed Order member to the parlor, and he was looking for any other needing help.

"Potter," a voice hissed.

James spun around to find the cruel smile of Bart Crouch Jr.

...~oOo~...

The battle was winding down. A number of Death Eaters retreated of their own accord. Alastor Moody had a room with a number of capture Death Eaters tied up and waiting for official arrest.

The last duels were raging on the lawn while the remaining Order were going around from body to body, checking for pulses. The ones with faint beating were transported to the parlor immediately.

Hermione was just exiting the house, looking frantically for her brother, James, and Remus. She was slowly navigating her way across the lawn when a voice behind her said, "My dear Hermione."

Her blood went to ice and she looked into Lucius's silver orbs tentatively.

"Lucius," Hermione said.

His jaw was taut, his hair pulled back, and he was bleeding from a slice through his eyebrow. His skin was the color of milk against the ruby liquid. His black cloaks had been abandoned long before, and we wore bloodied trousers and a ripped Oxford shirt, the gaping tear right down the center.

"Tonight has been a... revelation for me," Lucius said slowly, stepping forward casually.

Hermione frowned. "Lucius -"

"It's a wonder, isn't it, that our best duelist was not at the meeting, nor in the battle," he said, his eyes dark. His face could only be described as the "calm before the storm".

Hermione's breath was coming faster. She couldn't handle another duel.

But... maybe this was the moment, she thought. I'm depleted and weak and can't fight any longer. Maybe this is my moment to exit the timeline personally. At least it's Lucius, someone she knew wouldn't draw out her death. At least, she hoped.

But she had to make it look convincing. Her hand tightened around her wand.

"You needn't say anything," Lucius said. "I know you're a traitor."

Hermione nodded.

"For how long?" he demanded, raising his wand.

She didn't say a word.

Lucius's expression only darkened, his lips tightened and his eyes hardening. "I... trusted you." And he cast his first curse.

Hermione clumsily blocked it and did the same for every curse after that, only waiting for one to penetrate her shield and have it done with.

She was not expecting for Sirius to come out of nowhere and slam his fist into Lucius's face. "_You stay away from my sister_," Sirius growled, whipping out his wand.

Lucius, his nose leaking blood, did the same.

Sirius and Lucius dueled.

"STOP! I SAID STOP, BOTH OF YOU," Hermione screamed desperately. The memory of Sirius and Harry dueling Lucius, ending with Sirius's fall through the Veil was prominent in her mind. "PLEASE, I BEG YOU, STOP!"

They did not stop. They only cast faster, the curses they projected her stronger, each of them emitting grunts but exchanging no words. Their faces were contorted in an animalistic rage.

Then it happened in slow motion.

Hermione drew her wand to do something - anything - when Lucius saw her. He sent a curse at her. While Lucius was distracted, Sirius cast the infamous violent green curse at him. Hermione was knocked back by Lucius's curse.

But, just in time, Lucius shouted, "PROTEGO!"

Sirius's Killing Curse changed course, surged back and struck Sirius dead in the chest.

"_NOOOOO_!" Hermione wailed.

Sirius dropped to the grass, his lips the color of parchment already.

"SIRIUS!" Hermione screamed, running at him. "SIRIUS! _SIRIUS_!" She tripped over herself as she dove next to her brother's body. She kept yelling his name, her voice growing raspier with every unanswered call. She took his cold face between her hands and shook his.

Hermione's sobs came out like howls as she threw herself down on top of his body and clutched at his shirt.

Next thing she knew, another body hunched down over hers, trying to shush comforting things, but the sounds were choked and broken. She glanced up at Remus, blood-covered and lost-looking as he stroked her back and held Sirius's lifeless hand in his other.

Hermione looked to where Lucius once stood. He was gone.

One Death Eater, seeing the mourners, was making his way over for the easy kill before an Avada Kedavra, out of thin air, hit him in the back. No one saw the caster.

"_Why_?" Hermione sobbed. "_Sirius_! You can't leave me! You're invincible, remember? Nothing can touch us, you said that." Hermione's voice shattered. "I need you. I love you."

Remus's hands were in Hermione's hand, trying to sooth a pain that no one could heal. Tears were rolling down his own cheeks and he whispered to Hermione, "We need to get you to Madame Pomfrey, love."

"No!" Hermione shouted. "I won't leave him! I can't!"

"He's gone, Hermione," he said, his heart breaking. "You can't save him. He's not here anymore."

"Yes, he is," she sputtered. "He has to be."

"Come," Remus said, bringing Hermione's head to his chest. "We'll bring his body to the infirmary."

With a heavy reluctance, Remus got Hermione on her feet, though her knees were shaky. Remus had just begun to levitate Sirius's body when they saw Regulus Black coming toward them, tears in his eyes, and with hunched shoulders.

Hermione and Regulus made eye contact as the youngest, and now only, brother said flatly, "James Potter is dead."

Hermione wobbled unsteadily before crashing to the lawn in defeat. She covered her face with her hands.

She'd failed. She'd failed miserably.

...~oOo~...

A/N. ALRIGHT, DON'T HATE ME YET. I know you're all probably upset and angry, but PLEASE JUST CONTINUE READING. YOU SHALL BE REWARDED.

Favorite part and line? Thoughts? Are you upset?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	69. A Memoir

A/N. There was a little bit of confusion, but Lucius is NOT dead. He simply disappeared. The only ones who are dead who we know personally are the following:

Dorcas Meadowes

Sirius Black

James Potter

Bellatrix Lestrange

Voldemort

(and of course a bunch of other people we don't know know)

...~oOo~...

Chapter Sixty-Nine: A Memoir

_Sirius reached out and held her by the shoulder and looked down in her eyes. "Even if that night we agreed that we weren't meant to be, you say you gave me your innocence and trust. Well, I did give you something back. I gave you a piece of me that will always belong to you. Even long after we're both married and have kids with different people - I promise that something inside of me is yours. Be it my heart or soul or whatever."_

_..._

_"I was beginning to realize a pattern this summer," Sirius explained. "Once a month, my dear sister here, would take on all the pleasantness of a Dementor. When she stepped into a room, it would get drastically colder and it felt as if I'd never be happy again. So I obviously needed to find out if she had a curse put on her or it was simply a woman's natural cycle. The exploding feminine products proved the latter."_

_Hermione groaned, her face burning uncontrollably. "Why are you such an idiot?"_

_"It's not my fault," Sirius defended. "It's yours. For being a moody witch once a month."_

_"I would actually blame Mother Nature for that one," James joined in._

_"I think," Remus butted in, holding up a hand for all conversation to stop, "Hermione would appreciate it if we stopped talking about her…female…things. I'm sorry for asking, Hermione. It was stupid of me to think that Sirius's explanation wouldn't be absolutely psychotic."_

_"It's alright," Hermione sighed, her cheeks still red. "It's not a big deal."_

_"I can't believe you blew up her tampons, mate," James said, shaking his head._

_"Is that what those tube things are called?" Sirius asked in awe._

_..._

_"No matter who you fall in love with one day..." Sirius whispered, all humor gone and leaving behind sincerity, "I'll always protect you. No one - not even me - will ever be good enough for you, love. And I'll be there to keep you safe when he doesn't make the cut."_

_Hermione smiled and tucked her face into his hair. She murmured, "I love you, Sirius," before drifting off to sleep._

_..._

_Sirius looked like half of him was still tucked under his blankets in dreamworld. His hard shoulders were slumped and his hair was a mess, and he was rubbing his eyes sleepily and yawning. He took the chair on the opposite of Remus beside Hermione and practically threw himself down into it, immediately leaning over and snuggling right into Hermione's side. He was mumbling about boggarts and something about "please, Mum, don't make me eat the ogre's shoe..." He burrowed deep into Hermione's hair and stayed there. His body was ridiculously warm and his mouth was partly open, releasing drool onto her shoulder._

_Hermione studiously ignored her brother and turned back to Remus, who was looked distant._

_"Now I feel like a bad host, Hermione," James said, theatrically annoyed. "The lazy bum who invites his friends over but doesn't have the sense to be awake when they arrive. Remus, I must apologize for mine - and Sirius's - behavior. But above all for Hermione's - I mean, you'd think she'd know better."_

_"You watch your mouth, James Potter," Mrs. Potter said, whacking her son on the back of his head. "Hermione has thrice as much sense as you and Sirius combined. I must have done something wretched in a past life to get you instead of a daughter."_

_"Mummy..." James whimpered, looking like a kicked puppy dog._

_"Bloody baby..." Sirius murmured under Hermione's hair._

_..._

_Hermione sighed and rolled over again. "I know I'm not pretty, Sirius," she said calmly. "I know I'll always be the ugly duckling who never gets turned into a swan, okay? But I wish men weren't so shallow."_

_With a heavy sigh, Sirius padded into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "You aren't ugly," he told her. "You're gorgeous."_

_"My hair is a rat's nest," she said._

_"It's curly and thick," he corrected her. "Do you know how many girls would kill for curly and thick hair?"_

_"My teeth are awkward," she added._

_"They're quirky," he said. "They give you character."_

_"My chest is flat."_

_"Small breasts are nice," he said. "And you've got a pretty nice arse to make up for it."_

_Hermione touched her bum consideringly. Sure, it was perky and round, but whose wasn't? "I guess," she mumbled. "So as long as I keep my back to men I have a chance. Lovely. Wonderful foundation for a relationship."_

_"Oh, your arse is definitely a wonderful foundation for a relationship," he said with fervor, nodding assertively._

_Hermione kicked him._

_"Kitten, you're beautiful," he said, getting serious. "I wouldn't change a thing about you. If a bloke can't see how gorgeous you are then he isn't worth it."_

_..._

_"Um…who are you?" Sirius asked politely._

_"I'm…uh…Hermione."_

_Sirius paused, considering this. "If you're looking for Regulus, he's in the next room."_

_"I'm not…really…looking for…anyone," she stuttered. "Actually, that's a lie. I guess I was supposed to be looking for you, but then I don't really know why I'm here and, well, everything is just incredibly confusing right now."_

_Sirius looked her up and down, taking in every detail. She was on the skinny side, with a bushy mane of chocolate hair and pale skin. She was wearing a jumper and jeans and had a pretty wooden box in her hands._

_"So…you don't know why you're here?" he clarified._

_Hermione shook her head._

_"Well," Sirius said. "I can only say you have really bad luck for landing you in this house, of all the homes you could have possibly showed up in. But I suppose it'll have to do, won't it?" He gave a friendly wink. "Come along, dinner is almost ready and I think my mother would like to know that you're staying in the house."_

_Hermione was god smacked. "What? Stay? In your home? B-but…you don't know me! Are you mad?"_

_"A little," Sirius said with a shrug, walking further into the room and kicking off his shoes, tossing them lazily into the corner where they landed on a miscellaneous book. "But you look pretty confused and lost, so it would be rude of me to just throw you onto the street, wouldn't it? And if there's one thing we Black men are, it's gentlemen." He gave a chivalrous bow. "Now, come along…Hermione, you said your name was? Interesting name. I'm Sirius. Sirius Orion Black."_

...~oOo~...

Lily and Remus sat in the parlor of 12 Grimauld Place. They were both clothed in black, Remus in a suit, and Lily in a simple dress. Her hair was pulled back and she wore no make-up, her eyes puffy and bloodshot. She held Harry in her lap, who seemed to feel the tense atmosphere and remained silent.

Remus was leaning back into the couch, staring primarily at the ceiling. He didn't care about how wrinkled is coal black suit was or about how messy his hair was. The night before, the night of the battle, had been unfiltered hell. When they'd finally gotten home, Hermione cried all night. No one slept. Lily looked like the walking dead.

"Where's Hermione?" Lily finally asked, her voice low and dull.

"She hasn't left her room all day," Remus said. "Sometimes there's a crash, but then it'll get quiet. I brought her up food a few times, but she won't eat it."

Lily sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. "Only an hour left until the funerals."

Remus stood up. "I'll go let her know. She'll never forgive herself if she doesn't go."

...~oOo~...

When Remus had first gotten up for breakfast, Hermione had to admit she'd lost it. In a blind rage, she'd destroyed her own bedroom. She'd torn apart every piece of clothing the Dark Lord ever gave her and began breaking all of his gifts. Not with magic, all with her fists - it was more satisfying, in a way.

Voldemort had loved to shower her with jewelry, and she kept all of those disgracefully expensive, evil-laced pieces separate from her other jewelry. So she'd dumped out the box of evil gems and began slamming a copy a dictionary down on them until the chain at least broke.

It became a system. Bracelet. Then earrings. Then a ring.

And then she came across the fat ruby necklace he'd given her for the Christmas where she and Remus slept separately - it was one of the worst memories she carried from before her brother's death.

She slammed the dictionary down on the ruby necklace over and over.

But not even the chain had broken.

Then she'd tried her wand, but every time she hit it was a curse or hex, it skittered away and that was it. She even went to the parlor while Remus was showering and tried burning it in the fireplace.

Nothing could harm the ruby necklace.

Then Hermione remembered her and the ghost of Fabian's conversation.

_"Let's think about this logically, though," Fabian said. "Something small, easily concealable, and usually hidden in a place he trusts or has a history with. And he had to make it more recently."_

And...

_Fabian put up both of his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is that Voldemort was a complex guy. He hated anything that made him weak, that's why he tried making himself invincible. Yet... he trusted you and made you his mistress." _

Was it possible that Voldemort had planted his last Horcrux on Hermione?

From the current evidence, Hermione certainly thought so.

And then Hermione came up with a plan.

...~oOo~...

Tapping his knuckles lightly on the door, Remus called out gently, "Hermione, the funeral is in an hour, darling. Are you ready?"

There was no answer, but a series of rustling behind the door.

"Hermione?" he called again.

She still didn't answer, but he heard murmuring like she was talking to herself.

Remus was nervous. "I'm coming in, okay?" And he opened the door.

There he found Hermione throwing on a jumper and talking to herself furiously, like she was trying to figure a difficult Arithmancy equation out.

"Hermione, what's going on?" he asked, looking around. The room was a mess. There were a few select object spread out on the bed and Hermione was wearing jeans, trainers, and a jumper.

Hermione looked up in surprise as if she hadn't noticed him walk in. "Remus, I... I... I'm going out," she finished in a quick breath.

"Hermione, the funeral is in an hour," Remus reminded her softly. "Is it something that can wait?"

Hermione snorted humorlessly, but shook her head. "Quite the opposite. It _cannot_ wait. I'm going to fix this, Remus. I'm going to fix everything."

"What do you mean?" he asked, getting more and more concerned. Hermione had this crazed look in her eyes that made him wonder if she'd snapped. "Hermione, look at me... No, darling, _look at me_," he said firmer this time, walking over and taking her chin in his hand. "Hermione, I'm going to need you to explain."

All of the sudden, Hermione just... slowed down. Her eyes softened, her shoulders dropped, and she looked so desperately and deeply _sad_.

"I'm going to save them, Remus," she said. "I'm going to save Sirius and James."

"Hermione," he said slowly, "James and Sirius are gone. You cannot save them."

"But I can," Hermione said, sounding sure. "I work in the Ministry."

"What does that have anything to do with this?" he asked carefully, like he was approaching a frightened animal or a patient at St. Mungo's Incurable ward.

"I work at the Ministry, which means I have access to whatever department I need," she went on. "Even the Department of Mysteries."

"And...?" he prompted.

"There's a part of the Department of Mysteries called the Time Room and in the Time Room is a store of Time-Turners," Hermione said in a rush.

Remus paused and processed everything that Hermione meant. Hermione could tell when he'd figured it out because his frown deepened and his eyes widened, "Hermione, you can't do this." He took her by her shoulders and bent down to look her in the eyes. "Terrible things happen to people who tamper with time. By going back and changing the past, you could potentially trigger something even more disastrous. People die for a _reason_, Hermione. And as sad as I am to say, Sirius and James are no exception."

Hermione understood every word that Remus said. She even agreed. And if the times weren't so desperate, she would be saying the same thing. But she'd made a promise when she accepted Dumbledore's task, to herself. She was going to keep Harry's parents and godfather alive. It had been her true prerogative the entire time.

For eight years she worked to keep her boys alive. Eight years she spent preventing the results of Pettigrew's treason. And for eight years, she loved her Marauders with every piece of her being.

Even if it was against nature, even if she could change the course of the war, she was going to go back and save James and Sirius. It was a very not-like Hermione thing to do - selfish and unethical - but she was going to do it, just the same.

Instead of responding, Hermione walked to the bedside table that Remus used and opened the drawer. She withdrew his puzzle box and went back to him.

The last picture on the face of the box was nearly complete, so it was very easy for Hermione to slide the last shifting tiles into place.

The picture was one that Hermione hadn't realized she brought with her when she came back in time. It'd been in her jacket. She'd taken it one day in her original timeline with the plan to frame it and then give it to Remus as a decoration for whatever office he worked in next - but then Tonks had died in the war and she thought it was a bad idea.

In the moving picture on the front of the box was a candid shot of an older Remus and an adult Tonks standing fairly close together, just looking at one another. But the spectacular thing was _how_ that look seemed to consume both of them. It was the sort of look that gave someone a hope for world peace.

The words that danced over the top of the picture were very short and simple.

"_How long I will love you..._"

Hermione whispered to the box, "Always."

The last latch popped open.

Hermione took a deep breath and put the box into Remus's hand. "This will explain enough, I think."

And then she Apparated away.

Perplexed at the exchange, Remus looked down at the box. Who was that in the picture with him? And why did he look so... well, old? He knew that he was greying early, but still. And that girl, why did she look so familiar?

Almost afraid that this was a dream and the box would combust, Remus's hand steadily made its way to the puzzle box's lid.

And then he opened it.

...~oOo~...

A/N. Thoughts? Favorite part and line? How many of you are psyched about the box?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	70. The Puzzle Box

A/N. A special shout-out to **KEZZ 1** who, in chapter 35, figured out where the Horcruxes were hidden during the Aurors' search of Hermione and Sirius' apartment.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy: The Puzzle Box

In the puzzle box was a collection of items. A stack of envelopes, a vial, a necklace, the Celtic ring he gave her for Christmas, and Fabian Prewett's watch.

Remus was already confused. Hermione had given him this box five years ago. How were there objects from only the last few months hidden inside?

Remus opened the first envelope.

_December 27, 1976_

_Dear Remus, _

_Hello, Remus! And congratulations! You've opened the box! I'm sure you've been eager to see what's inside. _

_And truthfully, when I give this box to you in a few days all that will be inside is this single letter. Cheap Christmas present isn't it? But, to be honest once more, I had no clue what to get you for Christmas this year, but I wanted it to be something fantastic. So I began making this puzzle box and found a way that I could have more time to figure out what to get for you and tell you my secret. _

_To start, I will tell you how this box operates. Remember that day we were in the Room of Requirement when we were trying to find new passageways for the Map? And we saw those Death Eaters entering through the Vanishing Cabinet? Well, that Cabinet is what inspired me to make this box. _

_I have a box. A box you've surely seen me with many a time. A jewelry box? With animals carved into it? You know the one, I'm sure! Well, I've linked my box and this one magically to work much like a Vanishing Cabinet. When I put something in my box, it shows up in yours. _

_This has also come in handy, I admit, when I have been collecting Horcruxes - as I'm sure, by now, you know everything about. I put them in my box and they're transported to stay safe and sound in yours temporarily. Pretty clever, right? _

_And since this will most likely take, to my calculations, five years for you to complete, the Vanishing feature will surely prove beneficial to me when I wish to "update" the contents. _

_Anyway, enough of my bragging about this masterpiece of an invention (though, it is quite brilliant, isn't it?!). Now that it is the year 1981 (well, technically it's still 1976 for me), I feel it is safe to reveal to you the nature of my appearance in your life when you were thirteen years old. To put it simply, I am from the future. I came from the year 1998, June 3rd to be specific. I came by way of Time-Turner. I am on a mission from Dumbledore to correct a grievous event. _

_Before I came here, there was a war that ended in a great many deaths, including some of those very near and dear to me both. But because of an unknown Horcrux by Voldemort, the war really wasn't over. He was still able to come back. _

_So I've come to prevent the making of the unknown Horcrux and to stop a group of people from dying. _

_It went against my nature to accept the task. Some nights I can't sleep over it. I am going against nature, am I not? I hope you do not hate me for this - though you'll probably hate me anyway for lying for so long._

_After all, you are an intellectual person like myself, and if our rolls were reversed and I was reading this letter from you, I'd probably be horrified. _

_Further, you're probably wonder, "She was only thirteen! Why would Dumbledore charge such a mission to a thirteen-year-old!" Here is an even bigger confession - I was eighteen when I accepted the task. I drank a potion to reduce my age so that I could fit in with you, James, and Sirius at Hogwarts._

_In summation, I have been a live for seven years more than I look. So if you're opening this five years later, I'd look twenty-one, but actually I've been alive for twenty-eight years. _

_Now that I think of it that way, I feel pretty disgusted with myself. A bit like a pedophile, considering I am madly in love with you. _

_There is another confession. I absolutely, irrevocably, deeply love you. Although, you probably do not return the feelings, and it would be severely irresponsible for me to ever act on it, it is probably extremely awkward for me to tell you something like this now. I do not know where we will be in 1981, but we are probably dear friends, aren't we? And I am content with that. Who knows, maybe my feelings will change? _

_Also, I wouldn't want to distort the personal lives of people I know from the future - like you, of course. Yes, I know your future self. Very well, actually. We are cordial, perhaps even friends, and you were my professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts in my Third Year. It was that year that I deducted you were a werewolf and for the first time witnessed your Change. It was a very messy, confusing affair of how it came about, a story for, perhaps another envelope. _

_Oh, so you've seen the final picture, yes? You are probably confused once more. The woman in that picture with you is named Nymphadora Tonks, daughter of Sirius and my cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted. She's only a little girl now, but when she grows up she's going to develop a bit of a crush on you, a crush that will blossom into much more. _

_Of course, you were reserved about the age gap, your lycanthropy, and your financial status - but, truly, Remus! You must accept her. Unfortunately, in my original timeline, she died before you could get married. So when the time comes, and her death has been prevented, be with her! It would mean the world to me to see you happy and in love. _

_Well, for now that is enough information, don't you think? I'll add another letter soon, I'll probably put it under this one. _

_I hope you can forgive me for my lies and deceit, "Professor" Lupin. _

_Love, _

_Whiskers_

_..._

The third envelope.

_September 1, 1977_

_Dear Remus, _

_Last night, we kissed. And then I wiped the memory from your mind. I've betrayed you again, and I hate myself for it. I had no right editing your thoughts, but I'm hoping this will make it up to you a little bit. _

_In your box is a vial. In that vial is my memory of our first and final kiss. Whether you bring it to a Penseive and watch it or if you are more content with never seeing it is up to you. Perhaps you'll feel it's better to not. Maybe you'll realize it was a mistake without even remembering it. _

_As I write this, I am sitting on the train with you, Sirius, and James. Even after so many years, I'm stunned by how different you all look. And of course, how similar James is to Harry. _

_I've told you about Harry in the last envelope. By now you know that Lily got over herself and you've met Harry yourself. Cutie, isn't he? I've seen pictures of him as a baby - adorable kid. _

_I know I haven't told you much about James and Lily in the future - that's mostly because I don't know what their future would be like because in my timeline they died. Of course, I've made sure that doesn't happen now. _

_Someone betrayed them. I made it so that this person was never trusted. Do not worry about it, I have done everything in my power to make sure Harry grows up with both parents. They _will _have a happy ending. _

_I would write more, but Sirius is bugging me. You know how that goes, of course. _

_You get more and more handsome with every day, Remus. It's almost magical. _

_Love, _

_Whiskers_

Remus twisted the little vial in his hand. Inside of the crystalline glass danced a silvery thread, twisted and practically begging him to open. He put it back in the box. Perhaps later.

He opened the fourth envelope. Only six more to go.

...~oOo~...

Hermione sat in the servants' quarters at the manor house at Mould-on-the-Wold. It'd been painful to walk across the blood-splattered lawn and to see the burn marks and gaping holes in the walls.

Hermione looked down at the silver Time-Turner in her palm. It was bigger than the last one she held and it was much shinier, with little embedded crystals in the metal of it.

She'd just finished writing the last letter she would write for Remus's box. She'd started it at Grimauld, but she'd been so anxious to just break into the Time Room and fix everything that she tucked it into her pocket and decided to wait.

Now she gently put the time-Turner down to fold the parchment into three and slide into the envelope. She sealed it and wrote "Moony" in careful letters across the back. She put it inside her jumper.

Then Hermione did her turns. Exactly to ten hours ago.

...

The world stopped moving around Hermione. She took the letter out form her jumper and put it in her jewelry box. Once she closed it, it was automatically in Remus's box. For safe-keeping, she put the jewelry box under one of the servants' beds.

She looked at the time and thought back. Voldemort was dead and the Order was calling in reinforcements. The Before-Battle Hermione was probably just parting with the Marauders and heading up to the widow's walk.

Hermione decided to wait a few minutes. Before Hermione needed to get her visitation from beyond the grave from Fabian. And Hermione also knew it would be best to wait until the house calmed down and people got in their positions so that she wasn't seen.

Hermione transformed into her cat and began making her way towards the attic, sticking to the shadows. If Sirius, James, or Remus saw her, it would be a problem - especially if they'd just seen Before Hermione a couple moments ago.

Hermione climbed up to the attic and up to the widow walk. Through the door, she heard her own voice.

"... Do womankind a favor and don't use that one in heaven."

Then Fabian's voice saying, "Fair enough. Go and get them, tiger. Show them who's boss."

Hermione counted to three for Fabian to disperse before transforming back and walking through the door and onto the widow's walk.

Before Hermione's eyes bulged when she saw herself. Before Hermione and Hermione were identical - Hermione'd even put on the same clothes from the battle to avoid being found-out. Only Hermione's face was scratched up and raw, whereas Before Hermione's face was untouched.

"W-what are you... how did you get here?" Before Hermione sputtered.

"Time-Turner," Hermione said, giving herself a look.

"We destroyed that!"

"Time Room."

"Oh," Before Hermione said with epiphany. "But... why are you here? A battle is about to start!"

"Something goes wrong," Hermione said. "Terribly wrong. And I only have about five minutes to talk to you before Remus comes up to see you. Now, listen. Tonight, James and Sirius are going to die."

Before Hermione gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "No! That can't happen!"

"Exactly," Hermione agreed. "That's why we need to save them. After all, there's two of us here now, isn't there? One of us will save Sirius and the other James."

"And you know how we have to do it, of course?" Before Hermione clarified.

Hermione nodded. "We have to take the curses for them."

Before Hermione took a deep breath. "We've been prepared for this. We know we have to die anyway."

"Which is the other reason I'm here," Hermione said. "I survived my battle - which was wrong. Your battle - well, _our_ battle - we have to die. Simple as that."

They looked at one another a moment.

"How does... Sirius..." Before Hermione whispered.

"Sirius and Lucius get in a duel. Sirius tried to kill Lucius, but Lucius deflects the curse and it hits Sirius instead," Hermione said with a thickness in her throat. _Pull yourself together, Hermione. You can save him. That doesn't have to happen. _"When Sirius casts the curse is when we have to jump in front of him."

Before Hermione nodded. "But how did James die?"

"According to Regulus, it was a nasty duel between him and Crouch in one of the corridors."

Before Hermione sneered. "I hate that man."

"So do I."

They stared again for a moment.

"Well," Hermione said, "I have to go. I'll... stick to the shadows until it's time. I'll try to meet you after your duel in the ballroom."

Before Hermione's brow furrowed. "What happens in the duel in the ballroom?"

Hermione gave a dry smirk. "You'll see."

...~oOo~...

A/N. Ooh! Shit is getting serious! Favorite part and line? What are you looking forward to? What do you think is going to happen?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	71. The Final Battle

A/N. Are you all nervous? Because I am. I'm really nervous.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy-One: The Final Battle

Remus and Greyback wrestled like animals. A part of Remus that he was always striving to suppress came bubbling towards the surface, and the near full moon wasn't doing anything to help it. It was the farthest corner of Remus's mind that the Wolf lived. It was caged there, always scratching at the bars to get out, howling for release.

They rolled on the grass, punching and clawing and biting. They growled and snarled and ripped clothes, pouring each others blood onto the other.

Remus had Greyback under her. The former took the other's man's long, disgusting hair into his fist and smacked his head into the earth over and over until blood gushed from his forehead.

Then Greyback gained control by manipulating Remus's legs with his own and rolling them over so that the younger man was under him. With no prelude, Greyback clutched his thick, meaty hands around Remus's throat and began to squeeze.

Remus fought for air, his hands clawing at Greybacks, his legs kicking and trying futilely for oxygen. Greyback only laughed and squeezed harder.

A white hex flew from their side, knocking Greyback off of Remus violently.

Not hesitating a moment more, Remus took each side of Greyback's head and twisted quickly, breaking the savage's neck. Greyback slid to the floor with a thump and Remus looked to the direction the curse came from.

But his savior was nowhere to be found.

...

Hermione looked at the time. Before Hermione was most likely in the middle of getting her rump kicked by Bellatrix. Hermione rubbed the side of her torn of face with the memory of having her face slammed down into a glass-covered floor. Hermione knew that with her salve, the shallower of the cuts would be gone, but she'd have some scars - not that she cared in the least since she would be dead in about an hour.

...

Crouch didn't play fair. The duel was brutal and James found himself panting for breath. He'd been thrown into the wall so many times, her head wasn't processing anything correctly.

Barty Crouch Jr. laughed like a hyena, his eyes wild and insane like the Mad Hatter. Mercilessly, he shot curse after curse at James, making him scream in pain and writhe and whimper.

James was about to black out when he saw a figure slip from the darkness. And though his vision was blurry and he was halfway between dream and awake, his whispered, "Hermione...?"

...

"_You stay away from my sister_," Sirius growled, landing his fist into Lucius's face with a satisfactory crunch. Before Lucius regained his balance from the blow, Sirius drew his wand.

His adrenaline was at an all time high. Sirius's curses were expelled stronger than ever and he never lost his footing. He only faintly heard Hermione screaming in the background - screaming for them to stop.

Why would he stop, though? Sirius was winning! He couldn't give up now! Lucius Malfoy was be dust in a matter of seconds, if only she stopped screaming! She was really breaking his concentration.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hermione brandish her wand, but Lucius quickly disarmed her, sending her backward with the hit. The half-second of distraction was Sirius's chance - and he took it. He barked, "Avada Kedavra!"

He hadn't expected Hermione to throw herself into his chest in a sudden blur, throwing her arms around his chest and squeezing her eyes shut.

Lucius Malfoy snapped out, "Protego!" before the Killing Curse his just as Hermione shielded him.

The green orb collided into Hermione's back, her eyes shocked open. In terror, Sirius watched as the light left her eyes, leaving behind a dull, slat brown.

"NO!" a voice screamed.

But Sirius couldn't scream. He couldn't speak. He could barely breathe. The body of his sister was curled limply in his arms.

Remus was at Sirius's side in a half-second, his hands touching Hermione as he muttered, "No, no, no... Hermione... Hermione, love..." Remus took the dead girl from Sirius's arms and laid her gently on the ground, the way he would when he carried her to bed after she fell asleep reading in the library. Careful not to jostle or wake her.

"Hermione, my love... wake up," Remus coaxed desperately, caressing her face. "Please, for me, darling, wake up..."

Falling to his knees by her body, Sirius dropped forward into her stomach as the sobs began overwhelming him.

"I'll do anything, just wake up," Remus continued whispering. He was running his hands through her hair and kissing her face everywhere, dropping kisses on her parchment pale cheeks and chin and temples. "I love you."

Sirius looked up long enough to see that Lucius had disappeared and to see a random Death Eater hitting the ground dead.

And then, from the house, came a very unexpected situation. James was leaning heavily, half-unconscious, against Severus Snape.

Severus announced grimly, "Regulus is dead."

Sirius's hands went to his face.

He was the last Black once more.

Then Severus saw who they were crying over. "No..." he murmured, shaking his head and looking confused. "No, she can't be dead... here... her body was... now here..." He kneeled next to Hermione and took her pulse. There was none.

Hermione Black was very dead.

...~oOo~...

James was put into a magically induced coma at St. Mungo's so that he could heal. He had a lot of physical and, probably, mental damage from his run-in with Crouch.

Lily, however, was in a different room that early morning. It was just dawn and the hospital was in an uproar from the battle at Mould-on-the-Wold. It wasn't her night to work, but she needed to know information and needed to be on-duty to get it.

Lily was in the morgue. All the bodies from the battle were being examined to any curses that linger and can cause lasting harm to the people that were around when it was cast and other important things like time of death and the official cause.

Lily had to force back a whimper as she spoke to the Healer of the morgue.

"You're sure?" Lily whispered, her shoulders shaking. She felt physically nauseas.

The Healer nodded sadly. "Yes, very sure."

Lily took a deep breath, though it did nothing for her trembling. "Let me tell them. They're my friends... my family. They should hear it from me."

The Healer nodded and went back to his bodies.

Lily cried as she walked out of the morgue and up through the hospital halls. She felt like her stomach had fell into her stomach acid. It was hard to walk when she was shaking so hard, but she finally made it to her husband's room.

Remus and Sirius sat on either side of the unconscious James, both looking deeply despondent. Remus looked like a corpse himself and Sirius couldn't stop the tears leaking from his eyes.

Both their heads shot up when Lily walked in. They both looked nervous to see her in such a wreck.

Sirius said thickly, "What could it possibly be? They're already dead."

"Hermione..." Lily choked, "She was pregnant."

"Oh God," Sirius moaned, gripping his stomach. "Jesus, I think I might be sick."

Slowly, Remus stood from his chair, still looking undead. He dragged his feet over until he stood in front of Lily. His voice was barely a whisper when he asked, "How far along... was she?"

"The Healer says two and a half months," Lily said weakly. "She probably... had no clue. According to the H-healer... the fetus was alive u-until that last curse hit h-her."

"This is all my fault," Sirius whimpered. "I was the one who cast that curse..."

Remus's hands dragged down his face. He was going to be a father... until about two hours ago. A father...

And now the mother and baby were gone. Dead.

Lily opened her arms for Remus as she saw him breaking down just as fast as she was. Remus fell into her arms and let loose bawling.

This was truly Hell.

...~oOo~...

Remus didn't sleep. He could have stolen an hour or two before he needed to wake up and go to her funeral, but he couldn't. He wasn't able to go home to his own bed that night either - he needed to be in hers.

The bed still smelt like her. Parchment... chocolate... warmth and love...

For hours, he stared at the side of the bed that she slept on. The outline of her body was still there, faintly.

For a long while, he imagined her lying there, sleeping. Or laughing. Or just smiling that smile and talking to him about something she'd read or something ridiculous Sirius had done. The memory of her was practically tangible. He had to stop himself from stretching out his hand and running his knuckles down the shape of her freckled cheek. Or from touching her belly and feeling for a life there.

How had he not known? How had she not known?

Those were easy enough questions to answer.

Hermione had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders with her double life as Death Eater and Order member that she probably hadn't noticed a single symptom. Remus hadn't either.

The sun was fully up and Remus looked at the clock. Three hours until the funeral.

With a heavy sigh he reached into his bedside table and took out his puzzle box. He was nearly finished with the very last picture. He considered burning it. What was the point? Hermione was dead. What did it matter what was in the box? What did anything matter now?

But he knew Hermione would have hated him for giving up. So he began shifting the tiles.

It was almost like instinct. He didn't know why, but his thumbs were drawn to particular tiles and after a while it was almost like they moved on their own. In a little less than an hour, the picture was complete.

Who was that woman? Why did he look so old?

"_How long I will love you..._" the words said across the top of the photo.

"Forever?" Remus said to the box.

The latch remained closed.

"Until I die?"

Nothing.

Remus thought back. There had to be some kind of hint Hermione's subliminally dropped in the past - she loved doing that. He thought and thought.

And then she remembered how she addressed her letters to him when they were at their respective jobs and missed each other dearly.

Without fail, she'd sign, "Always, Whiskers."

Remus whispered, "Always..."

The latched popped open.

Remus tossed the lid aside eagerly and found a bunch of miscellaneous objects inside. Stack of letters, vial, watch, jewelry...

Remus had time. He ripped the seal of the first letter and began to read.

...~oOo~...

A/N. I cried writing this. I kind of hate myself. But this is how I wrote the outline at chapter one, I can't change it now! Ugh, I'm so torn. I'm considering going back and changing this before I post and update... oh, but I can't. You'll soon see why.

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	72. It's Lonely Being a Ghost

A/N. Okay, so guys, we have a good 3 - 5 chapters left, for all who were wondering! It is going to be truly hard for me to say goodbye to this story, but all good things must come to an end.

Congratulations to **Jamber17** who was the only one who got challenge number 4 fot chapter 35 correct! You'll see what I mean.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy-Two: It's Lonely Being a Ghost

Remus sat in one of the many chairs at the funeral. The building was packed, with even more people flooding in. All of them there to say farewell to Hermione. From his seat, he could see her body in the casket, and though he was at the funeral, his mind was still in his puzzle box.

He still wasn't sure if he believed all of it. Well, he did, of course, but he didn't want to. Why wouldn't Hermione have told him? Just him? They'd trusted one another, they'd been best friends, they'd been lovers.

The future. Remus shook his head in disbelief. The bloody future. He always knew something was special about her, but he definitely hadn't anticipated that!

At least she wouldn't die in vain. He gave the ruby necklace to Dumbledore the moment he'd gotten to that last letter, the only envelope with his name written delicately across the back - "Moony". Dumbledore would destroy the necklace and Voldemort would be dead for good.

Then again of course, so would Hermione.

She'd put the ring he gave her in the box. It now sat in the pocket inside his jacket, practically burning the left side of his chest. He took it from his jacket and held it in his palm. Silver with that pretty Celtic know and their initials on the inside. A sort of promise ring, if you will.

At the front of the chapel, Lily was crying at the casket, shakily situating Hermione's clothes and hair, whispering things to the dead girl. Alice stood to the side, tears running down her own face and holding her son and Harry for Lily.

There was a line out the backdoor to pay your respects. Remus had gone up before everyone got there, but he planned on going again and again until... well, he wasn't sure until what. Until she answered his questions? Until she opened her eyes?

Then when the time her her eulogy came up, Sirius walked up, looking the epitome of miserable.

Sirius stood at the podium in his shiny black suit and pinstripe waist coat. From his pocket he pulled a piece of parchment and unfolded it before clearing his thick throat.

"I... I was never very good with words," Sirius began. "That was always... Hermione. She was the wordsmith. She knew exactly what to say in every situation. More than one she got me and my mates out of trouble for it.

"Hermione dropped into our lives unexpectedly when I was only thirteen, and I could not imagine my life if she hadn't. From the beginning she was a force to be reckoned with, but with the kindest heart anyone's ever had. She was the type to hex you one minute and hug you the next. She was... quirky." He looked behind himself at her body. "Sorry, kitten, but it's true. You had more quirks than Remus, even."

A few people watching chuckled. Even Remus cracked a small smile.

Sirius turned back to the crowd and continued, "But she was, by far the most intelligent witch I'd ever met. I remember Remus one saying she was the brightest witch of our generation. It's true! You knew something was wrong with Hermione when she didn't have a book in her hands." He smiled wistfully, but his eyes deepened with his sorrow. "We used to tease her to death for that.

"My relationship," Sirius went on, "with Hermione went through many phases. Strangers. best friends, brother and sister... there was a time where I was sure I was going to marry her. But when it was all said and done, she and I were just each other's anchors - the things that kept us tethered to the earth to keep up from floating away. We said these words often to one another: 'I need you'. Simple, isn't t it?" Sirius's eyes were dampening again.

Hagrid could be heard blowing his nose in the far back at every corner of the room.

"So, anyway, I should probably say something like she's not really gone, and all that rubbish, but you've heard it all before," Sirius said thickly, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles. "Pretty fucking pointless to repeat it all, considering my sister is dead and she's not in all of our hearts - because there was only one her and nothing, not even memories or pieces of her, can replace that." Turning away from the podium, Sirius knelt next to the coffin and tilted his head forward, one of his hands resting on her cold, folded ones.

Sniffles and sobs could be heard throughout the room.

But Remus's mind was working. It was something that Sirius had said that triggered his sudden epiphany.

Sirius had said, "There was only one her..."

But, according to the last letter he gave her, there was seven hours where there were two of her.

He was pulled from his reverie by gasps throughout the entire room, rolling through the crowd like a wave. Remus's head snapped up and he found Sirius backing away from the casket, bewildered.

The empty casket, that is.

Hermione's body had dissolved into thin air. The place was in a panic, people rising from their seats.

And something deep in Remus's heart told him to look behind to the back of the room.

A person was walking out the back, someone in a dark cloak, leaving in the middle of the ruckus. The cloak fell back when they opened the door to reveal a brown, bushy mane.

Remus shoved his way out of the mass of people frantically, his heart jumping, and sprinting. Was this real? It couldn't be! This was insane. He was going mad.

He ran until he finally got to the back door and out of the building, into the street. He looked around in a frenzy, but the road was empty. His hand raked back through his hair as his eyes began to burn.

Hermione's ghost had disappeared.

...

It had been a stupid idea to attend her own funeral, Hermione knew that. But wasn't that what everyone sort of dreamed of, in their most morbid recesses of their mind? To see who came to say goodbye, to hear what people had to say about her, to just see her own body laid up there like a poisoned princess.

And then her body had disappeared and all hell broke loose. She'd figured as much. The Hermione who died hadn't been the Before Hermione - but the temporary one. In the midst of the battle, their positions had been switched with all the confusion, thus ending the life of that Hermione at that time.

And now, that Hermione's seven hours in the timeline were up - most of those hours spent as a corpse.

Hermione had done extensive reading on time travel. It was a common belief that there were infinite timelines, and when one time travelled, another was birthed, but the traveler only if there for as long as they traveled back. If all things remained the same, then once the time was up, the traveler would return to their timeline.

But, in Hermione's case, she'd obliterated each of the timelines she'd come from. They would never happen, thus eliminating them from the universe. So when the Hermione who turned the Time-Turner this second time disappeared, she was gone for good.

Hermione, however, had botched her ambition to throw herself in front of James. Apparently Regulus had seen her skulking about during the battle and followed her, thus leading him into the duel between James and Crouch. In the end, it was Regulus who had put himself in between the Killing Curse and James. Hermione had ended Crouch and Regulus was gone.

Hermione had called out to someone, anyone, as James floated between unconsciousness, hallucination, and reality. Severus had been the one to appear. He'd taken James's body and Hermione fled. She couldn't be seen.

At the funeral, she had been clutching the Time-Turner in her palm. Maybe she could go back and get it right, she thought for a moment. But she knew that no matter how she tried, someone was always going to die.

Life wasn't a piece of parchment. You couldn't just smudge out your mistakes when you make them. You just have to... keep writing.

Hermione was done playing God. It was exhausting and painful.

When the chaos started when the body disappeared, Hermione saw a tall man with a hat tipped to cover his face leaving the funeral. She'd followed after him. What if he was a Death Eater?

Hermione followed him out of the building and down an alley way. She was light on her toes to avoid making noise, but that didn't seem to matter because the man stopped and spoke her name.

"Hello, Hermione," were his words. His voice was low, deep and... oddly familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it until he turned around and discarded his hat.

Hermione gasped. "Orion?!"

Her adoptive father's smile was as tight and slight as ever. "In the flesh."

Hermione's head was spinning. "A-are you another ghost?"

"'Another'?" Orion inquired with one raised, dark eyebrow. "Do you make a habit of having exchanges with ghosts?"

"Strangely enough, yes," Hermione admitted, her mind still not cooperating with her mouth.

"I am not a ghost, Hermione," Orion said, his dark eyes shining like obsidian. "I am very much alive. I've made sure of that."

"I don't understand," Hermione confessed. "I... I was charged with your murder! I went to trial! I even saw your body!"

"Intriguing for someone who attended their own funeral to say."

"So you... time travelled to prevent your own death?"

"Nothing that complicated, no," Orion said. "There was a sick house elf in my care who was on the edge of death. I saw this as my opportunity and gave him a batch of Polyjuice Potion. He transformed into me, I positioned him in my study, and staged the appearance of a robbery. Because of the flawed properties of any potion, because the elf was dead, he never reverted back to his old form."

Hermione's eyes were huge. Orion was so casual and cool, like he was a teacher giving a lecture. "So... you're the one who sent me your ring."

"I did much more than that," Orion said. "Aren't you at all curious about how the Hufflepuff Cup ended in our family vault?"

Hermione could barely breathe. "That was you?"

"And a few other things," he hedged. "I operated from the shadows, doing what I could to tip things in your favor. I was at the battle as well. When you were being mourned by your brother and friend, a Death Eater was planning to take advantage, but I took care of him from the sidelines. I also helped that man, Lupin, with his row with Greyback."

Hermione's head was filled with a dozen images. Of the Cup, the Black family ring, Greyback... And then a little white card nestled in an exotic bouquet when she was in the hospital faking Dragon Pox.

That little card hadn't been randomly splattered with ink. Those dots make a pattern... a constellation...

Orion.

He'd been there the entire time.

"But... why?" Hermione finally asked. "You're a pureblood supremacist! And how did you know I was from the future?"

"I always wanted a daughter," Orion said, musing. "But I ended with two sons. So when you arrived in my house, I had been curious as to how you arrived there. I did some investigating."

"What kind of 'investigating'?"

"Nothing as complex as you're thinking. When you fell asleep that night, I searched your room. I found the Time-Turner easy enough and put two and two together. You aren't the only one with brilliant deductive reasoning."

Hermione leaned heavily onto the brick wall beside them for support. She was focusing on taking deep breaths, but her mind was a mess.

"What is your plan?" Orion asked.

Hermione still stared at the ground when she answered, "Change countries. Change names. Change lives. Maybe... change into a cat forever."

Orion raised an eyebrow.

"It was just an idea," Hermione groused.

"Well, you can, of course, come with me," Orion said with a regal shrug. "I can't be seen ever again, what with faking my own death, and being a ghost gets quite lonely."

"You've never said more than three words to me in my life," Hermione said suspiciously. "Why such the heart-to-heart now?"

"I've had many years to contemplate how I would live while I was dead," Orion said. "My reasons for helping you in the way I did are personal and something you will never be privy to. But I mean what I say. It's lonely being a ghost."

...~oOo~...

A/N. What do you think will happen? Favorite part and line? Are you surprised? Your thoughts?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	73. Not Again

A/N. Apparently there's a little confusion (which is okay!) about the state of Hermione right now. When I said she and Orion were "ghosts", it was purely metaphorical - HERMIONE IS ALIVE, as described when she is leaving her own funeral after the temporary Hermione disappeared.

Also, she feels she needs to remove herself from the Potters and England in general because she just didn't succeed in sacrificing her own life and feels that's the only way to right the timeline in whatever way she could. Hermione just isn't the type to kill herself - to all who asked why she didn't do that. Taking a curse for her brother or friend is different than suicide.

Song for this chapter is Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy-Three: Not Again

Remus had rushed home right after he thought he saw Hermione - alive - at her funeral. He needed to read that last letter to her again, because something just didn't seem right. It was right on the edge of his subconsciousness, he could feel it.

He'd ran up to Hermione's room and yanked the box out of its drawer and shook around all the box's contents until he found the only letter addressed "Moony" on the back of it.

He pulled out the parchment and read it again.

_Dearest Remus, _

_I wish I had time to write everything I'd like to tell you. All of the words I will not be able to speak to you anymore. Just to express how much I love you. But I do not have time for that. _

_It is almost six o'clock on the day after Halloween and we are on the way to James and Sirius's funerals. They died, Remus. I did not save them. But now, I can. I am going to break into the Time Room in the Department of Mysteries and steal a Time-Turner and will go back, warn my past self, and we will then take the Killing Curses for James and Sirius. _

_It has to be this way. I do not belong in this timeline. I've known this for a long time - I simply have to die. And I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would make sure Sirius and James live to see Harry graduate from Hogwarts, get married, and have kids of his own. _

_But mostly, I need to keep them alive for you. I won't let you be the last Marauder. Not again. _

_So by the time you read this, you'll probably be on the way to my funeral. Please, do not try to save me and never tell James and Sirius of what I did. Call it our little secret. _

_I love you. _

_Always, _

_Whiskers. _

Both Hermiones were going to sacrifice themselves for James and Sirius.

Two Hermiones.

Both were supposed to die.

But there was only ever one body.

Remus's head was whirring. Had they missed the other Hermione's body?

Or the head of bushy brown curls hadn't been a hallucination.

But if Hermione lived, why didn't she come forward? Why didn't she let everyone know that she was alright? Was she still planning on taking herself out of the timeline? A horrific image of Hermione swinging from a noose flashed in Remus's head and he shook it away. Hermione wouldn't do that. She just wouldn't.

But Hermione had been determined to extract herself from this timeline.

Then Remus had an epiphany.

So she didn't succeed in taking herself from the universe. Perhaps she was going to try the next best thing. Eliminating herself from their lived. Creating the appearance of being dead. It would solve the problem, wouldn't it? The future Hermione would never encounter the Time Traveling Hermione, thus getting rid of a potential disaster. The two Hermiones would be separate, one a simple memory after long enough.

Remus put the letter down on the bed and wrapped a scarp around his neck. If Hermione was alive, then he had an inkling of where she was.

Because Marauders did not abandon one another.

...~oOo~...

"...and then I went back in time. To here," Hermione finished on a big breath. She sat back further in her seat. "And you know pretty much everything else. You were there after all. I was adopted. I met you and Remus. Sirius and I had that big engagement mess. I became a spy. As did Severus. You married Lily and had Harry. And then the Prophecy and the battle."

As predicted, James's eyes stayed shut and his breath stayed even, deep in his coma.

Hermione said, "So now you know all about your son. Or, what was once your future son, but now I think Harry will be a little... different, don't you think? Now that he has you and Lily. I think he'll be happier and less burdened. I did this all for him, you know. So that he wouldn't have to suffer.

"But now you're suffering. And so is Sirius and Remus. I never wanted to hurt any of you. I just wanted to correct the timeline in any little way I could. I've already done so much damage. The least I can do is remove myself before Harry meets the younger me. You will all stop missing my eventually. You will all move on. And you can all live happy lives, free of war."

"But how can I live a happy life without you?"

Hermione spun to the door of the hospital room and found Remus, breathing heavily, his nose and cheeks flushed pink from the autumn weather. She stood up abruptly, almost like she was ready to run, but they just stared. He looked as shocked as he did.

"Remus, I -"

"It's true, Hermione," Remus said confidently. "I won't be happy without you. Not while knowing you're out there, somewhere. Maybe if I stayed ignorant and believed you were well and truly dead, but now that I know that you're... alive... I won't ever stop looking for you. I'll search the world twice for you." He took a deep breath. "You may think that you're doing us some kind of favor by leaving - but you're a part of us now. As much as James, or Sirius, or Lily. And we will never stop missing you. And I won't stop loving you."

Hermione felt his words fill her up. Fill her up all the way to her eyes, which began overflowing with the feeling. She wanted so badly to just give up and run into his arms and live for herself for once. But that wasn't how Hermione worked.

And Hermione started crying. She'd never been so conflicted in her life. She felt her resolve crumbling as Remus simply held out his hand, like he was asking for a dance. His eyes were intense and she knew he meant every word he said.

Then they heard a frantic voice calling out, "Moony! Moony, 'Mione might not be dead! You see I -" Sirius skidded into the room and halted, his eyes getting huge. "Hermione! You're alive!"

"Yes, but... how did you know?" Remus said, looking at Sirius curiously.

Sirius held up the piece of parchment addressed to Remus. "I always read your post."

Remus and Hermione both had the sudden urge to smack themselves in the forehead.

"I checked the Floo and the last destination was to here, so I came as quickly as I could so I could tell Remus that you might be alive," Sirius explained. "But, uh, I see he's already figured that out."

"Yes, Sirius," Hermione said, "I'm alive. But I can't stay here. Why don't any of you understand that? I can't be around when my younger self goes to Hogwarts. Too many questions would be asked and next thing you know I'm on trial for Time Tampering and the rest of you are put in Azkaban with me for being accomplices. Not too mention what would happen as far as the universe is concerned. It's too risky."

Sirius marched over to Hermione and took her by the shoulders. "Well, too fucking bad," he practically spat, his voice thickening. Hermione saw his smoky eyes getting glassy. "Because I'm not letting you go anywhere."

"Nor am I," Remus said, crossing his arms.

"And I'm not either."

They all turned to the bed where James's eyes were open groggily, his voice scratchy and dry.

Hermione's eyes widened. "I thought you were unconscious!"

"I was for a few hours this morning," James rasped. "But they pulled me out of it just before you arrived."

"So you heard everything I said?" she asked quietly, and for some reason she blushed.

James confirmed, "Every last word. And I'm still not letting you go."

Hermione looked around the room at her boys. Well, they certainly were not boys anymore - they were three intelligent, powerful, mostly-mature wizards. They were men. And she loved them all so much that her heart was sore.

Sirius took a few steps back to give Hermione room to breathe when he saw that her breathing was getting panicky and her tears were coming faster. One hand flew to her mouth as she tried pushing back a sob.

Everything that she wanted was laid out for her to take. Friends, family, love. She wanted to revel in it, enjoy it.

Her eyes locked with Remus in the midst of her tears. And she realized that he was worth the risk. Worth everything.

Almost tripping over her own feet, Hermione tossed herself into Remus's chest, throwing her arms around his chest and squeezing tight as she cried into his shirt. Her sobs were sharp and hiccupy, as she struggled to control them. But it was no use.

Remus felt the relief swallow his body as he held her back, holder her as close as possible. He thought that he'd never get to hold her like this again - never able to even touch her. Those thoughts had driven him insane. He couldn't do that. He needed her there with him.

He stroked her hair and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'm going to love you always, Hermione. You and our child."

He felt her stiffen and she pulled her head back slightly to look at him in bemusement. "What child?"

...~oOo~...

All through the day of what should have been Hermione's funeral, parties raged through the wizarding world. The parties were so wild and loud that they actually began to disturb the Muggles.

When asked about the commotion, the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold stated what would become the quote she was known for forever, "I assert our inalienable right to party."

Unfortunately, though, even when Hermione agreed to stay, there wasn't much partying for the Marauders. They stayed at James's bedside and Hermione went through her story one more time, to clarify details that some of them were foggy on.

"So Moony was your professor?" Sirius clarified for the hundredth time.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione said, "Yes, Sirius. He was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when we met."

Sirius smirked. "A bit kinky, isn't it? Did he give you detention and bend you over his desk to punish you?"

"Good God, Sirius," Remus said, his eyes rolling towards heaven to ask the powers that be what he did to deserve this. "I highly doubt that, as a professional educator, I would be so forward or vulgar. I was a teacher! I knew better! And Hermione was barely fourteen!"

"But according to what Hermione said," James said, "you liked them young anyway."

Sirius and James sniggered.

"My cousin!" Sirius exclaimed. "You shagged my bloody baby cousin Dora, and now my sister! Is there no end to your indecencies?!"

Hermione squeezed Remus's hand as he looked at his feet in what might have been shame or annoyance.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Pads," James said, grinning. "After all, you were in Azkaban."

"Under false accusations! And without a trial!" Sirius defended automatically. "I was the victim for Merlin's sake!"

No one dared mention what happened to James in that timeline. It was far too sad.

"And I refuse to believe that I died in the way that I did," Sirius proclaimed haughtily.

Hermione glowered at him. "What? Are you not satisfied by your demise?"

"No, I am not! I fell through the Merlin-damned Veil? How stupid is that!"

"Pretty stupid," Remus said. "Which is fitting for you."

"Shut up, Professor Naughty-Knickers."

"Belt it, both of you," James said. "You're giving me a bloody headache."

Then it hit Hermione. "Um, guys? If we're all here and my funeral turned into a disaster... where's Lily?"

They all exchanged looks.

James hissed, "Shit."

...~oOo~...

A/N. What do you guys think? What do you think will happen next? Favorite part and line?

I'm sorry about the small delay in updating. My mother had surgery yesterday and I stayed over in the hospital with her.

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	74. Representation

A/N. Only a few more chapters to go!

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy-Four: Representation

Hermione stood outside the Grangers' home. The modest Muggle house was white with a picket fence, with flower window boxes. The tree in the yard was naked, its leaves littering the lawn like an autumn blanket. The sky was a powdery blue that day and decorated with wispy clouds.

Crossing her arms, Hermione pulled the sleeves of her jumper over her hands and took a deep breath. When she let it out, she made crystal air that hung there before evaporating away.

Hermione still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. But she had to do it. She needed to see herself. It was a strange urge, she admitted, but it was like some otherworldly power was telling her to visit her baby self. Maybe it was an inbred time travel etiquette? She wasn't sure.

Hermione had already planned it all out. She was looking for a "puppy" and was going around the neighborhood to see if anyone's seen him. She even had a flier with a Muggle photograph of Padfoot in the middle.

Get it over with, she told herself. And she walked up to the door and hesitantly knocked.

When the door opened, Hermione's heart melted and she had to force herself not to say, "Mummy!"

Jeanine Granger had light brown hair, pulled back in a bun, and was wearing a house chores frock, and gloves like she'd been in the middle of doing the dishes.

"Hello," she said with a welcoming smile. "Who might you be?"

Hermione's heart broke, but she held it together as she said, "I... I lost my dog. And I was... wondering if, maybe, you've seen him?" Hermione mechanically held out the flier.

Jeanine's face took on a concerned sadness. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. But no, I haven't seen him. What's his name?"

"Padfoot," Hermione said.

"Does he have a collar?"

"Yes," Hermione lied.

"Then I'll make sure to look out for him!"

Hermione kept sneaking glances into the house through the doorway, but she saw no child.

"Darling, you look freezing," Jeanine said, ushering her in. "Come in for some hot apple cider to warm you up."

"Oh, I couldn't -"

"I insist."

Tentatively, Hermione stepped into the house. It was strange. It was all so familiar, yet foreign. It made Hermione want to cry or laugh or run. But she did none. She just followed her mother into the kitchen.

And when Hermione saw the child in the high chair, she almost fainted.

Because, it wasn't Baby Hermione at all.

As a matter of fact, it was a little boy.

"This is my son Carson," Jeanine said with pride. "Say hello, Carson."

The little boy, Carson, waved, smiling in the way that babies do.

"He just turned two," Jeanine added.

"He's beautiful," Hermione half-choked. She covered up her shock with a cough. "Do you, uh, have any other children?"

"No, just Carson," Jeanine said, going over and smoothing out the boys unruly curls. "He's our perfect boy. I'll put heat up that cider for you, dear. Have a seat."

Hermione slowly sat next to the little boy, feeling shaky all over. This wasn't right. Where was her baby self? What had happened?

"Hello, Carson," Hermione said.

"Hullo," the boy said back meekly.

Hermione couldn't think of what else to say.

"What did you say your name was, dear?" Jeanine asked.

"Hermione."

Jeanine looked at the girl curiously. "Really? How interesting... I mean, it isn't exactly a common name, but... my husband, Tom, he wanted to name Carson, if he'd been born a girl, that exact same name. Curious, isn't it?"

"Indeed," Hermione said, hiding a tear. "Curious."

...~oOo~...

As Hermione and Dumbledore walked purposefully down the corridors at the Ministry, Dumbledore explained his theory.

"I do believe," he said, "that you have altered the timeline so completely that something triggered a change in your birth."

"That change being it never happened," Hermione said, a little sharply.

"Well, yes. It makes sense, in a way. More than once you've described yourself as a transplant, which is true," Albus said. "When one organ is taken from one body to put in another, it does not continue to exist in the original body. It is removed completely. The universe has simply corrected itself."

"Then who am I?" Hermione demanded. "If I was never Hermione Granger, then who am I now? Am I even a muggle-born anymore? Do I have parents? Or have they been obliterated along with the other timeline?"

Dumbledore put a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder, stopping both of their paces for a moment.

"I wish you could understand what a blessing this is," Dumbledore said sagely. "Weren't you at all concerned that in seventeen years, on the date that you went back in time, that you'd disappear much like your body did at your funeral?"

Hermione slowly nodded. It had definitely been a concern.

"With this information, we can now confirm, that it will never happen," Albus said with precision. "You have changed the future so completely that your time travel, in reality, never happened. Thus eliminating the date that you turned the Time-Turner."

Hermione frowned. "I don't know if I like that."

"Everything will be all right, Hermione," Dumbledore assured her. "Are you not happy? You can stay with your family with no more worries. You have a child on the way and you no longer have to live in fear that one day you'll disappear from your son or daughter's life. Isn't it a relief?"

It was. It was a huge relief. But... "I miss my mum and dad."

Dumbledore nodded, understanding. "I know."

"I want them to know me. Know me as their daughter. They created me. But they'll never remember me, because I never existed to them. They don't know Hermione, they know Carson."

"You can mourn them, Hermione, do not think you can't," Dumbledore said as they began walking again. "The same way you'd mourn the loss of anyone else. But know that, in the end, this is better for the life you've built here."

Hermione sighed and nodded. Dumbledore was right. She should be treating this like some sort of miracle. It was like the universe was correcting itself. As they walked towards the Council of Magical Law, Hermione touched her stomach lightly, feeling for the hard shell developing behind her skin.

When they entered the Council, things were hectic already. The jury and judge and all the members surrounded the accused who was kept in a tubular cage with spikes jutting from it angrily.

Trials at the Council of Magical Law went much quicker then with Wizengamot and they were filing in Death Eater after Death Eater, all of them being denied testimony unless they promised names and information. When they walked in, Rabastan Lestrange sat in the cage, looking twice as mad as usual and furious.

Over all of the chatter, the judge, Bartemis Crouch, said, "The accused is Guilty and is sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

Rabastan roared, but was taken away, the jury and everyone all talking loudly and discussing as Dumbledore and Hermione both walked over to where Alastor Moody sat in the panel, looking annoyed about being there and slightly satisfied with the sentence.

"Good afternoon, Alasor," Dumbledore said cordially. "What have we missed?"

"Both Lestrange brothers are locked up forever," Moody said with a prideful nod. "They took care of young Barty before that."

Hermione watched the cage anxiously for the next accused. "Do you know who's left?"

"Well, they won't be getting through all of them today," Moody said. "With the information from you and Severus, we've brought in more than a dozen scum in only a week. Rumor is that Karkaroff is ready to crack as well. He's been yelling nonsense about Augustus Rookwood."

"I thought he was dead," Hermione said.

"No body to confirm it," Moody hedged. "Of course, it could all be a giant heap of blithering bullocks, but if we have a chance at Rookwood, we'll take it. Karkaroff tried handing over your and Severus's names as well. But Judge Crouch has already been warned about your popularity among them and shut him up."

Hermione nodded gratefully and bit her lip. She didn't like the atmosphere of the room. It was too busy and too unforgiving.

Hermione gasped when she saw the next accused.

"State your name for the jury," Crouch commanded.

"Lucius Hyperion Malfoy," the man answered with what was left of his pride, his hair pulled back into a scraggly ponytail and looking grimy from being in lock-up.

"Don't look too shocked, girl," Moody hissed. "You're the one who handed over the name."

"I just... wasn't expecting to see him this way," Hermione admitted.

"Lucius Hyperion Malfoy has been accused of being a Death Eater, the highest form of treason," Crouch announced, sounding like he was getting bored of the routine. "How do you plead?"

"Not Guilty," Lucius said predictably. "I was under the Imperius -"

"We already had information confirming that you were not," Crouch cut him off, the jury and members all murmuring around him. "It has been confirmed that you were fully aware of your actions and participated in several massacres and attacks willingly. How do you respond to such claims?"

Lucius sneered. "I did no such -"

"But you did, Mr. Malfoy," Crouch said simply. "The Dark Lord Voldemort even lived in your home, did he not?"

"N -"

"He did," Crouch said firmly. "Which is grounds for the Kiss. The accused is -"

"STOP!" a loud, panicked voice shouted over the buzz of the room.

Everyone's heads turned and found a red-faced Hermione standing up.

"You haven't even let him testify!" Hermione said accusingly, her nose wrinkled in anger.

"Miss Black," Crouch said, his eyes wide. "This isn't Wizengamot -"

"I am well aware," Hermione said firmly, her voice shrill. "But you are ready to sentence this man to the Dementor's Kiss without even hearing a word of what he has to say!"

Lucius was looking straight forward, not even close to Hermione, his expression dark.

"I want to represent him," Hermione said.

The panel erupted into a shocked murmur. Nothing like this happened at the Council. The trials were quick, clean, and uncomplicated. This, however, was complicated.

"This is uncalled for, Miss Black," Crouch said, color high on his cheeks. "You cannot -"

"I'm sorry, but, Bartemis?" Dumbledore chimed in, standing up, his eyes and robes glittering innocently. "I think it is a wonderful idea for Miss Black to represent Mr. Malfoy."

"Just let me show you that he doesn't deserve the Kiss," Hermione said desperately. "Life sentence, yes. But not the Kiss."

Bartemis Crouch contemplated this for a long, tense silence in the Council until he said tersely, "You have ten minutes to change my mind, Miss Black. No more. No less."

...

After the trial, Lucius was ushered away to Azkaban for life imprisonment. She'd succeeded in getting the Kiss off of the table and allowing visitation for his son. Just after Lucius, she'd done the same for Narcissa, who'd been prosecuted like a Death Eater. Though she'd never been one, and didn't carry the Mark, she'd allowed Voldemort to live under her roof, to her complete knowing. So she'd been sentenced to Azkaban as well.

Once that days trials were completed, Dumbledore asked Hermione if she was going to the Weasleys for the small celebration they were having.

"I'll be stopping by soon," Hermione had said, "but I have to do something first."

At the gates of Azkaban, they confiscated her wand, and allowed her through after many security procedures. The halls of the prison were stone, leaky and desolate, with little creatures and things crawling everywhere.

Once Hermione found the proper cell, her feet stopped but hesitantly. Through the bars, all she saw was a long, lean man clad in Azkaban stripes with long blonde hair lying on the thin cot. He made no indication that he knew she was there, but she stayed, staring in, for an immeasurable amount of time.

Finally, the raspy, deep voice on the cot spoke. "Do you remember... the first day I taught you?"

Hermione said quietly, "You taught me not to scream... when I was being tortured."

Slowly, the body sat up and turned so that he was sitting on the edge. He nodded. "I'm glad you remember."

"Why?"

"Because it only confirms that you're truly a traitor," Lucius intoned. "Karkaroff is different. His treason is... impersonal. But yours... just as I remember every moment we've spent in one another's presence, you do as well. Which makes the betrayal even more so."

"Lucius, I -"

"If you apologize, I will rip off those bars and run you through with them," he growled savagely. "I trusted you. You were Narcissa's maid of honor. You're the godmother of my son. Nearly the mother of my child. And you've been a liar all along."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. But I did it for the greater good. Does that count for nothing?"

"It counts for less than nothing," Lucius hissed, raising from his cot and walking over slowly. The Azkaban striped uniform was loose on him, his shirt sliding to the side to expose part of his collarbone and chest. He wore no shoes. "I have half a mind to kill you."

"But you already did, remember?"

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "Indeed. How did you manage to come back from the dead?"

"It's a secret," Hermione said. "Part of my deal with the Ministry is that I don't say."

"Sneaky minx," Lucius said darkly, and not in the complimentary way he usually did. "Working for the enemy."

"I was never a real Death Eater, Lucius -"

His hand whipped out through the bars and sized her wrist before she could jump back. Lucius indicated her forearm and displayed his as well, pushing up his sleeve.

"We carry the same Mark," Lucius rasped, looking back and forth between their brands, which were already fading to grey. "You've killed and tortured, just as I have. You followed the Dark Lord's orders, as did I. In the end, you are no different from me, Hermione."

"You're right, Lucius," Hermione said sadly. "You're right."

There was a pause between them.

"Where's Draco?" Lucius asked.

"He's staying with Andromeda until arrangements can be made."

"And what the hell is he doing there?" Lucius snarled. "What bloody arrangements?"

His sudden hostility made Hermione give a start. "W-what do you mean?"

"I made you his godmother for a reason, you fool," Lucius snapped. "You made a promise to Narcissa and I."

"But I thought I was a traitor," Hermione said, confused.

"I made you his godmother not because you were a fellow Death Eater," Lucius said. "You were Narcissa's maid of honor because of politics - but choosing you and Severus was personal. You can keep Draco safe in our absence. That is why when you leave here, you will drive to Andromeda's and take Draco home with you. Understand?" he ordered harshly.

"You are a conundrum, Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said, shaking her head in bemusement. "Sometimes I wonder what your head is like."

"I wonder the same about you."

Hermione said, "Farewell, Lucius. I'll bring Draco by to visit soon." And she began walking away.

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned back and waited for Lucius's words.

"I'm permitted one conjugal visit a month," Lucius said with a sly grin. "Keep that in mind."

"Lucius, you scoundrel," she chuckled. "I forgot to tell you, you know. I'm pregnant."

"Shame."

Hermione just smiled and shook her head once more. "Lucius... you're not so bad, you know that?"

"Of course I do," Lucius said, retreating to his cot. "I am wonderful. And don't you forget that."

...~oOo~...

A/N. What do you think? Favorite part and line?

I think, guys, there will be only one more chapter left and then an epilogue (possibly a two part epilogue). I keep getting sad when I think that this will be the end. Thank you, all of you, for all of your wonderful reviews and just for reading. You are the best readers a fanfiction author could ask for.

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	75. Looking For Heaven

A/N. You all have been such fabulous readers, I could not have been more blessed. You've kept me going, truly, and I get emotional when I read your beautiful words and think of all the support you've given me.

This is the NOT the last chapter - we have an epilogue coming up! I am not sure whether it will be a one or two part epilogue yet, thought. But there will be one!

The song for this chapter is Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine

...~oOo~...

Chapter Seventy-Five: Looking For Heaven

"Hermione Walburga Black! I have half a mind to slap you!"

Hermione smiled. "I miss you too, Lily. Haven't seen you in a while." She ducked down to drop a kiss onto the redhead's cheek.

Lily dragged a hand down her face, wiping off the kiss. "Just because it works with Remus, your kisses will get nowhere with me, Hermione! While you were telling the secret of the century to your brother, boyfriend, and my husband, I was hosting your repast dinner, you idiot!"

Hermione tried hiding a chuckle, but Sirius, James, and Remus all outright laughed.

Hermione was holding Draco's little hand while he walked with her into the Weasley's house. But Lily, of course, had barricaded the entryway waiting for Hermione. The other Marauders had waited there with her, hoping to lessen the damage.

The party going on inside seemed to be going well, with a lot of laughter and talking. Hermione trying uselessly to slide past Lily, but the woman was a like a linebacker.

"And not a single visit all week!" Lily went on, throwing her hands in the air. "I had to listen to the whole story from James, which was god-awful, and you didn't have the decency to show-up yourself! Even Severus had the decorum to come by and apologize for everything!"

"I'm sorry, Lily," Hermione said calmly, quite tired. Draco was pulling on her trousers so she bent down and hoisted him up onto her side. "I've been busy helping the Ministry with Death Eater affairs. It's been draining."

"And to top it all off, Remus says you don't want a baby shower! What pregnant woman doesn't want a baby shower? That's just... just... unheard of! And wrong!"

Hermione sighed and looked to her boys in the way a drowning person would look at a life-raft.

Remus was the first to say, "Lily, perhaps you can berate Hermione later? I think everyone at the party would be grateful to see her, seeing as the last time they did, she was a corpse."

James hobbled over to his wife with the assistance of his cane and said, "Darling, Remus is right. The poor woman just got here."

Sirius said, "I'm smart enough not to stand up to Lily, so quit looking at me."

Then, abruptly, Lily rammed into Hermione, giving her the biggest damned hug she'd ever gotten. LIly squeezed Hermione hard and said, "I'm just so glad you're alive!"

"So am I, Lily," Hermione said, stroking the woman's hair. "So am I."

"And the baby, I'm so happy about the baby," Lily sniffled, poking Hermione's belly gently. "Harry needs a cousin."

"We're happy about the baby too," Remus said softly, kissing Hermione's hair lovingly.

Lily finally pulled away and wiped at her eyes as she said, "Fine! I'll let you through! Go, have fun at the party while I go into the kitchen, make some tea, and cry my eyes out." And she scuttled away with the limping James in her wake.

The party was full of energy. The name of their Order had never been so appropriate. Like a Phoenix, they'd been reborn from the ashes. While there was still much mourning, everyone had that new determination to go on.

And when she walked into the crowded room, it was like she was in a parade. Everyone exploded into cheers and applause, chanting her name. She blushed and hid her face against Draco's blonde curls, laughing. She didn't think she'd done so much, but here everyone was, treating her like a hero.

"They did the same for Snivellus, if you'll believe it," Sirius said at her right.

She looked around and sure enough found Severus standing in a corner, clapping slowly and smiling very slightly at Hermione.

"You boys go have a drink," Hermione told Sirius and Remus. "And drink an extra one for me. I have to see an old friend."

Both boys kissed her head before going to pour themselves a drink and Hermione made her way across the room to where Severus leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and looking terribly uncomfortable among all the Weasleys' family and friends.

"So you've risen from the dead," Severus intoned. "I don't have to worry about a Horcrux, do I?"

Hermione smiled. "No, nothing like that. I'll tell you someday, but for now... let's just enjoy the party."

Severus sneered slightly. "A feat I'm sure that will prove impossible. I've never seen so many gingers in my life. It's borderline terrifying."

"Some things just don't change, do they?" Hermione chuckled.

"May I ask why you have our godson? He should not be exposed to this kind of Weasley frivolity so early," Severus said dryly.

Hermione sighed. "I went to see Lucius. He told me that you and I have to take care of Draco. It's only right, being his godparents and all. So I was thinking that during the school year, Remus and I will take care of him, and during summer you can. That way he knows both of his godparents well."

Severus unleashed a heavy sigh and said, "I suppose that will do. What about holidays?"

Hermione smiled. "We'll spend them together, of course. Draco will grow up having a proper family and we'll take him to visit his parents regularly. Won't that be lovely, Draco?"

Draco's response was to spit in her face.

Severus chuckled deeply. "I do not think he is pleased with these arrangements."

"He'll have to get over it," Hermione grumbled, wiping the spit off of her face.

"I hear congratulations are in order?" Severus then said. "How far along are you?"

"Almost three months, the Healers say," Hermione answered, handing Draco to Severus. "So, by their calculations, I should be due in April. A spring baby."

Severus nodded. "How... nice."

"Was it physically painful to say that? Because it sure did look like it."

"It was," he said. "Nothing in my life has ever been more difficult to say."

"Remind me of that when you have kids."

He sneered once more. "I'll never be foolish enough to have children, so do not hold your breath."

Hermione just smiled because she'd thought the same thing, but there she was. Sometimes, things are just meant to happen whether you want them or not - and some of those things turn out to be miracles.

Hermione's baby was truly a miracle and she was going to treat it as such.

After she dropped Draco off in the magical play pen that Molly used so much, she only stood by long enough to make sure that Harry and Draco wouldn't kill one another. Nearby the pen was Ginny, in a bassinet, sleeping like a tiny angel. Hermione whispered a hello to her before joining the adults of the party.

"I'm so happy to see yer alive, 'Mione!" Hagrid declared, giving her his version of a gentle hug.

Arthur Weasley said, "We are eternally grateful for what you've done, Hermione. You have a bed at the Burrow whenever you need it!"

"Oh, dear, we've missed you!" Molly had exclaimed.

Hermione had even gotten a dozen hugs from a collection of Weasley cousins that she'd never met before. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Hermione hunted down Remus and asked him if he'd like to go outside.

Before Hermione knew it, the Marauders and Lily were all sitting in the garden around a small round table. The boys were doing shots and Lily and Hermione were drinking tea. The sun was sinking down, so the sky was turning purple and pink while the half-moon peeked out of the blue.

It was chilly, but they'd all worn thick clothes and the breeze was lovely, refreshing. The wind, for some reason, made Hermione feel... grounded.

They were talking about resolutions now that they'd had their brush with death.

"... come now, there has to be something you want to change," James was harassing Lily.

"I am content, James Potter! Is that not enough?"

"No, it isn't," James said firmly. "Because I want a daughter. That's the change I want to make, and I sort of need your help to do that."

"I already told you, James," Lily said. "First it will be a daughter. Then you'll want another son. And then you'll just want another for the hell of it. Before you know it, we're the Weasleys and I just won't do it!"

James sighed and turned to Sirius. "What do you want to change, Pads?"

Sirius honestly thought about it for a minute, absently turning his drink as he did. "I think... I'm actually not sure."

"I think you should make your Animagus form permanent," James said with a grin.

Hermione gaped. "What! No! He can't do that!"

Remus laughed and said, "James, don't be mean!"

James shrugged, remorseless. "I've said it before."

Even Sirius was laughing. "Not going to happen, mate. I love the tail, don't get me wrong - chasing it, wagging it - but I can't stand the fleas. They're murder."

Everyone laughed at that.

Sirius turned to Remus. "Now, it's your turn, Moons. What is your resolution?"

Remus said, "I have Hermione, I have a child on the way, and I have a job. I don't think that it can get much better, do you?"

"There must be something," Hermione joined in.

"Hmm... I've always thought about growing a mustache..."

"NO!" Hermione said, too quickly, making everyone laugh some more. "No, no, no! Please, don't, Remus! Unless you want me to slip-up and call you 'Professor' - please, do not!"

"I don't think he'd mind being called Professor," James said, "in the right... you know... mood." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively. "The naughty plaid skirt and ruler mood, that is."

"Or because, you know, he actually is one now," Lily said, whacking her husband on the arm. "Congratulations on that, by the way, Remus. I can't believe you'll be a teacher! You'll be wonderful."

"I only got it because Hermione talked to Dumbledore," Remus said, giving Hermione a look. She put up her hands defensively.

"I never asked him to give you a job! All I mentioned was that in my timeline you had been the best DADA teacher Hogwarts had ever seen," Hermione said. "And, next thing you know, we receive a letter from Dumbledore. Isn't that nice, though? You'll be fabulous next term, love."

"Who's the DADA teacher for the rest of this year, though?" Lily asked.

"I hear Dumbledore is borrowing Moody from the Auror Department for the year," Sirius said, smirking. "Those poor kids."

Everyone agreed. Those poor kids.

"Anyway, Hermione, what do you want to change?" Lily asked.

"I want to reform werewolf laws," Hermione answered automatically. "I've already been making some leeway with the Minister in only this past week. I've been drafting bills and such, with all that time at the Ministry."

"Whoa, slow down a bit, would you!" Lily giggled. "Don't you want to - I don't know - relax, maybe? You have just defeated the darkest wizard of all time and died!"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't do well with relaxation. I need to be... doing something, constantly. Working towards something. And this is what I want to do next." She looked over at Remus and squeezed his hand. "Because Remus deserves it. He deserves to teach without being discriminated against."

"Here, here!" James said, raising his glass and tipping back a shot. "Moony more than deserves it."

Sirius nodded. "Even though he's impregnated my sister, I suppose the same."

"You're the best, Remus," Lily said with her soft green eyes shining.

Remus just smiled and squeezed Hermione's hand back.

The Marauders spent the rest of the night laughing and reclaiming their stolen youth. And for a few hours, they were kids again and everything was going to be okay.

...~oOo~...

"He's finally asleep," Hermione said, slipping into Remus's bedroom later that night. Remus lay on his bed, a book open in his hand, with his reading glasses on. He was still fully-clothed but with bare feet. He looked over his book as Hermione shut the door behind her and said, "Let's make a note that when we allow Draco to stay up late, he never wants to go to bed."

"Note taken," Remus said with a smile, taking off his glasses. "Having him around will be good practice, I think." He set his book on his bedside table.

Hermione smiled back and climbed into the bed, sitting up and look at him while sitting Indian-style. "I agree."

Remus looked over at her and paused. "Do you have something you want to talk about?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"You're staring at me curiously."

Hermione shrugged. "I just... wanted to look at you for a bit. Is that okay?"

Remus's grin broadened. "Of course it is."

They continued to stare at one another for some time. They needed to, in order to believe the other was really there. Stared long enough to realize they weren't going to disappear in a puff of smoke like a dream.

"What changed your mind?" Hermione finally asked, out of the blue.

"About what?"

"About children."

"Ah," Remus said, understanding. He folded his hands on his stomach and thought about it. "Thinking you were dead changed my mind. It changed a lot of things. And finding out my child was dead as well was enough to make me realize that... well, that I wanted that child. It was an awful feeling. Knowing that the person I loved and my son or daughter were gone made me want you both so much more. I've never been more scared in my life."

Hermione unfolded her legs and knelt up, so she could throw one over his waist to straddle his hips and sit in his lap, their eyes never leaving each other.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said again. "That was my fault."

"Stop apologizing," Remus said. "I understand why you did it."

Hermione shook her head. "I hurt the people I love. It's inexcusable."

"I wouldn't call it inexcusable," Remus said, leaning forward to brush his lips against hers. "I forgive you, Hermione. We all have forgiven you. Except maybe Lily, but she'll come around."

Hermione threaded her fingers through Remus's sandy hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands. "You are... everything I've ever wanted, Remus."

"And you are everything that I never thought I'd deserve," he answered. "But I love you more than... more than anything. More than you love reading."

Hermione smirked. "Wow. That's a lot of love."

Remus laughed and nodded. "It really is. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So... will you marry me?" From his pocket, he produced a small back box.

Hermione couldn't breathe for a long time. She was... paralyzed as he opened the box and revealed a gorgeous, delicate ring with a slim silver band and a modest little diamond. It was... perfect.

"Oh, God, Remus," Hermione gasped once her lungs started operating again. "Yes. Yes, of course, I'll marry you. Yes." She brought her mouth down onto his, kissing him hard, trying to show him how much she wanted to marry him.

Once the kiss broke, Hermione was giggling like a little girl as Remus slipped the ring onto her left hand. It fit like it was always meant to belong there. The same way Hermione fit in Remus's arms.

They kissed like teenagers, holding each other so hard there would be bruises in the morning.

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered between kisses.

Hermione smirked and whispered, "I love you, Professor Lupin.

...~oOo~...

A/N. Wow. So... I'm getting sadder and sadder! The end is nigh! :(

Favorite part and line? Your thoughts?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	76. Epilogue: The Whimper Part I

"_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends_

_Not with a bang, but with a whimper_."

- "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Elliot

Epilogue: The Whimper Part I

The Muggle alarm clock sang like a dying bird. With a groan, Hermione reached over to slap the OFF button. It took her a good four times to find the right switch. Once that awful noise stopped interrupting the silence, Hermione took a deep breath of the summer air filtering through her window.

Holding her pillow close to her chest, imagining it was her husband, she rolled over to assume a more comfortable position until she landed on something small and fleshy.

"Mum," the muffle voice said. "Mummy! You're on top of me!"

Hermione jumped back in shock and looked down at the five-year-old boy.

"Oh, Alastor," she said sincerely. "I'm sorry. I forget you were there."

"It's okay, Mum," he chuckled, wiping at his eyes sleepily. "Did you know you kick in your sleep?"

"Your father tells me all the time," Hermione said, shifting her legs out of the bed and picking herself up. "But he snores, so he and I are even."

Alastor giggled.

Then Hermione saw the time. "Oh, Merlin! Alastor, we've got to get ready. The train is due to arrive in only a few hours. I was hoping to get to the station early."

Alastor sat up, dark brown eyes glittering. "Dad is coming home?"

"And your siblings, so go pick out a shirt and trousers and bring them to me to check, alright?"

Alastor ran out of the room, excited for the chance to pick out his own clothes. Hermione knew of course was he would choose - all of the clothes Uncle Sirius got him tended to be fun and a bit ostentatious.

Sure enough Alastor returned with a pair of leather pants and a blue button-up shirt with rubber ducks all over it - ducks that quacked whenever someone belched. With cowboy boots.

"I'll make you a deal," Hermione said. "You can wear the shirt and boots if you trade the leather for denims."

"Okay!" he readily exclaimed. He ran out of the room laughing excitedly.

"And don't forget to let me brush your hair! And brush your teeth!" Hermione called after him.

"Okay, Mum!" he called back faintly through his closed bedroom door.

Hermione sighed. She could tell it was going to be a long day. But then she smiled.

Her husband and her other two kids were coming home.

...~oOo~...

One of Alastor's many quirks was his fondness for trains. He loved them. Every trip to the train station was like the zoo for any other boy. As they walked through King's Cross station, among the Muggles, he would point as they passed every platform, exclaiming, "Look, Mummy! A train!" Then... "Look, Mummy! A train!" Over and over.

If his outfit weren't enough to attract attention from the Muggles, then his enthusiasm for trains certainly was.

He also disliked the entrance to Platform 9 3/4. Alastor stared at it with disdain.

"Would you like me to carry you?" Hermione asked her son. Wordlessly, he nodded and she bent down to scoop him up with a grunt of effort. "Wow, you're getting big. I don't know if I'll be able to do this next year, love."

Alastor held onto his mother's blouse tightly as she ran at the wall and squeezed his eyes when she went right through.

The platform was full of waiting parents and eager little brothers and sisters. Hermione put Alastor on the ground and took his hand as they waded through the people, looking for her group.

"I saw your Uncle's motorcycle outside the station, so I know he's here," Hermione murmured only seconds before spotting him.

Sirius was standing there in a striped waistcoat and fur-lined jacket, with denims and a pair of scuffed up motorcycle boots. And people wondered why he was still single. He looked like a bloody peacock with all that color.

He was standing with James, Lily, and the Longbottoms. Alice looked nervous about her sons' return home, but James looked very excited. Lily was smiling, glancing over at the tracks every few moments.

Hermione joined the group and said, "Sorry we're late. I didn't adjust the alarm last night."

Every said their hellos and Sirius ducked down to hand Alastor a chocolate coin. James eventually swung his godson up and around onto his back, Alastor giggling all along.

"How do you think they did this year?" Alice asked. "Has Remus said anything? Neville was losing hair from all the stress over the holidays. Seventh Year is the big deal, after all."

"Remus said he's been doing just fine," Hermione assured Alice.

"And Harry even wrote that Neville tutored him in Herbology," Lily added. "He's a very bright boy! And a good friend. I'm sure he did wonderfully on his exams."

"I told you, dear," Frank chimed in. "Neville is fine. And so is Edgar."

"Well, of course Edgar is fine," Alice said. "He's having so much fun, but Neville, he's always worrying."

"He gets that from his mother, obviously," Sirius teased.

"Wait until you have children, Sirius!" Alice said as everyone laughed. "It won't be so funny then!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Sirius said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I get enough stress from hearing my nieces' and nephews' parents stress without having one of my own."

"Look, Mummy! It's a train!" Alastor squealed, pointing frantically at the Hogwarts Express coming down the tracks.

Everyone turned and watched as the train pulled up the platform, all of the students hanging out the windows and waving while the parents did the same. There were many shouted greetings and loud cries from anxious mothers while hundreds of kids squeezed out of the train, hurrying to see the parents they secretly missed all year.

"Mummy! It's Sephie! Look!" Alastor yelled from his perch on James's shoulders, pointing at the train exit wildly, jumping up and down while James winced under the pressure.

Sure enough, coming out of the train was a young girl with curly dirty blonde hair in pigtails and rectangular glasses coming off the train, dragging her trunk. She was looking back and forth around the platform before she spotted her mother and started running.

"Mum!" Sephie Lupin exclaimed, dropping her trunk and embracing her mother firmly.

"Oh, Persephone," Hermione sighed, kissing her daughter's hair over and over. "I've missed you so much, darling."

Coming right behind Sephie, picking up the discarded trunk, came the voice, "And of course, you haven't missed me at all."

"Remus!" Hermione said. It was her time to run into her husband's arms, jumping up and into him, almost knocking him off balance. Sephie blushed and closed her eyes while the other adults laughed.

"I've missed you, my love," Remus whispered in her ear.

"And I you," Hermione answered, lowering herself onto the ground. She turned to Sephie. "Where's your brother?"

"God only knows," Sephie said, rolling her eyes. "Last I saw him he was harassing a Hufflepuff."

Just then, four more kids made their way towards the group of Marauders.

James and Lily both squeezed their children tight. Harry was the spitting image of James, of course, but was a lot like his mother... maybe with a little mischief streak as of late, though. And their daughter Marlene - called Marley by most - had red hair, hazel eyes, and a long bone structure even though she was only a Fourth Year - well, now to be a Fifth Year soon enough.

Neville and Edgar were being doted on by their parents while Hermione waited anxiously for her last child. It took her a long few minutes to finally catch sight of him.

"Draco!" she said, holding out her arms.

Draco smirked and stopped among his family. "Hello, Hermione."

"Draco! Draco!" Alastor called out.

"Give your godmother a hug, for the good of all that's magic!" Hermione said.

Draco complied, Ducking down to hug his godmother and gracing her cheek with a kiss.

"How was school?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Draco shrugged. "As good as can be expected. Being Head Boy and such," he said, shooting a pointed look at Harry with a devil's smirk. "Issuing detentions. Taking points from Gryffindor. Winning Quidditch Cups."

Harry rolled his eyes.

Despite being raised like cousins, Harry and Draco never really learned to get along. Mostly because that Slytherin gene was prominent in Draco, in spite of his upbringing. Perhaps it was from all those summers with his godfather that brought out his snake qualities.

Or maybe Draco just didn't like Harry.

"Oh, oh! Arthur, look! Ronald, why didn't you show us to all of your friends!" Molly said, shuffling over to join the Potters, Lupins, and Longbottoms.

Ron looked like he wasn't entirely happy about his mother's harping so early in his arrival from school.

"Mum, they have kids too, you know," Ron said. "And I figured we'd see them at the party later."

"First you don't tell us a word about this new friend of yours and now you give us such a hard time about finding the Potters!" Molly rattled, throwing her hands in the air. "What has gotten into you, Ronald?" She turned to the other adults and said sweetly, "Hello, everyone. I apologize for my son being silly this afternoon."

Ron's face and ears burned bright red. "I wasn't being silly. And he's hardly a new friend, Mum, it's just Carson."

Right behind Ron, looking a bit shy was a boy with curly brown hair that hung over his ears, a freckled nose, and eyes the color of milk chocolate. He was a skinnier boy, and a bit above average height, with a bookish look about him.

Lily said, "Hello, Carson! Lovely to see you again!"

"Hello, Mrs. Potter. Mr. Potter," Carson said with a smile, exposing his crooked eye tooth. "I wanted to thank you again for having me for Christmas this year."

"You're always welcome," Lily said. "Any friend of Harry's is a part of the family as far as we're concerned."

"Well, I'm going to go find my parents now," Carson said meekly. "They always get nervous about... running into a brick wall."

"So do I!" Alastor said.

Everyone said their farewells as Carson slipped away.

"Such a handsome boy," Lily commented and everyone nodded. "Marley, why don't you fancy him? He's just darling!"

"I'm not his type, Mum," Marley said, grinning.

Ron's ears burned redder.

"I'll see all of you at the Burrow soon, I hope!" Molly said, beaming. "Plenty of food and lots of games! Come over whenever you'd like! It's not every day our boys graduate, you know!" And Molly was off to find Ginny.

"Well, we all better go get ready," James said. "It sounds like the party of the century is gonna start at the Burrow without us."

"We have to make a stop before we head over," Remus said. "Draco needs to visit his parents. Don't you, Draco?"

Draco sneered, but nodded.

Sephie's lip curled in disgust. "I don't want to visit Narcissa and Lucius. That place gives me nightmares."

"Then how do you expect to get home, exactly?" Hermione admonished.

"I can go on Uncle Sirius's bike, can't I?" Sephie asked, her silvery blue eyes brightening.

Sirius beamed and nodded. He loved taking the kids on his bike, it made him feel like the cool uncle.

"Absolutely not, Persephone Jean Lupin," Hermione said, shaking her head fervently.

"I agree," Remus said, giving his daughter a firm look.

"First it's your uncle's motorbike, and then it's some boy's motorbike - no, no, no," Hermione continued, feeling the panic. "Absolutely not."

Sephie pouted. Sirius pouted. There was a lot of pouting.

"You used to ride with me all the time, kitten," Sirius said.

"See!" Sephie said victoriously.

Hermione glared at her brother. "Under duress! You used to force me on that thing!"

"I'll be extremely safe, I promise," Sirius said, holding up his right hand solemnly. "I'm Head Auror - she's safer with me than anyone else."

"I'd rather she sit on your back to travel when you're a dog than have her get on that contraption."

Remus took a deep breath. "Perhaps... Hermione, how about... just this once?"

Sephie's eyes glowed in anticipation.

Hermione smacked her husband of sixteen years on the arm. "Are you mad?!"

"I think it would be okay as long as it doesn't become habit," Remus said.

James said, "I agree."

"As do I," Sirius chimed in.

Lily shook her head. "You three aren't a jury, you idiots! Hermione's her mother! You don't get to bloody vote!"

"FINE!" Hermione huffed. "Just this once, but I swear to God, Sirius, if she comes back with a single bruise on her, it's your head on the line, you understand me?"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Daddy!" Sephie said, hugging her father and then her mother. "Thank you, Mum!"

"Let's go, Sephie," Sirius said, offering his niece his arm.

Everyone dispersed and Remus, Hermione, Alastor, and Draco were all walking out to the parking lot. Hermione said, "Within the first ten minutes of see you again and you've already pushed my buttons!"

"I'm sorry, darling, but is it really all that bad? This is Sirius we're talking about. He would rather die than harm a single hair on his niece's head," Remus said, holding her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I think you're crazy," Draco chimed in with his usual drawl.

Hermione sighed. "The Prince of Slytherin thinks we're crazy. We're in trouble."

Alastor tugged on his father's arm. "Daddy, Mummy says you snore. Is that true?"

Remus chuckled. "Of course it isn't. Your mother is lying."

"Remus!" Hermione shrieked.

Even Draco smirked at that. Even though he'd never admit it, he really had missed his godmother over the school year.

...~oOo~...

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	77. The Whimper Part II

A/N. The song for this chapter is Dog Days by Florence + the Machine

...~oOo~...

Epilogue: The Whimper Part II

The Weasleys' home was overflowing with people. The yard was filled, the inside was filled, and everyone was laughing and playing games. It was a wonderful atmosphere to lighten Hermione's mood after her visit to Azkaban. The moment they arrived, Draco stalked off somewhere.

Hermione was worried about Draco, always. He wasn't much different in attitude from what she remembered, but less of a bully and he seemed to love his little brother and sister - even if they shared no genetic link.

Remus said, "I am going to find James and Sirius, try to keep them out of trouble. I love you."

"I love you too," Hermione said, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

Alastor made a gagging noise and Hermione laughed. Remus gave her a wink and strolled away, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"Why don't you go find Tommy Bones. He usually likes to play with you, doesn't he?" Hermione asked.

Alastor nodded and ran off, shouting for Tommy.

"Alastor Regulus, don't be impolite! People are trying to have conversations without your yelling!" Hermione called after him, but he didn't acknowledge he heard her at all. If anything, he just shouted louder.

Hermione entered the house and found the music was fast and fun and the drinks were copious. Everyone was having a great time.

She was looking for her godson when two six-foot tall boys with ginger hair obstructed her path.

"Hello, 'Mione!" they said in unison.

"Fred! George! You scared me!" Hermione laughed, grinning. "How are the both of you? And the business?"

"Fantastic," Fred said.

"Brilliant, really," George agreed.

"Good to hear," Hermione said.

"But how is the fittest Ministry official in the wizarding world doing?" Fred asked cheekily.

"I'm not sure, I'll ask when I see her," Hermione teased.

George said, "Oh, Hermione."

"Always the modest one," Fred said.

"But you know we mean you!"

"Always had a bit of a crush on you, really."

"Well, Fred did."

"George too!"

Laughing, Hermione said, "Sorry, boys, but I'm too old for you!"

"Age is just a number," they said in unison.

"And two kids later -"

"- you've still got it!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Such flirts. "You two sure know how to make an old woman feel pretty. Now, shoo! Before my husband hexes you both into the next century! He's quite the jealous one!"

"Professor Lupin?" they both asked in unison, eyebrows raised. "Jealous?"

"Quite so," she giggled. "Now, go along! You remind me far too much of your uncles. Don't you have girlfriends who are looking for you?"

"Girlfriend," the corrected her in sync. "Singular."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're joking."

"'Fraid not," Fred grinned.

"You share a girlfriend?!"

"Her name's Eleanor," George said.

"She's a doll," Fred answered.

"You should meet her!"

"You boys are more trouble than one girl can handle," Hermione said. "Now, off! I'm looking for Harry. Have you seen him?"

"In the parlor with Ronniekins," they replied.

Hermione thanked them and swerved through the people towards the parlor. Along the way, a few people from the Ministry tried to stop her to talk politics, but she politely excused herself and went along.

In the parlor, the trio sat around a chessboard. Carson and Ron were playing one another while Harry watched and the three boys all joked and taunted.

Hermione dropped down beside them and said, "Who's winning?"

"Ron, of course," Harry said, smiling brightly. "Hi, Aunt 'Mione. Do you know where Sephie is?" His eyes glittered, eager for the answer.

"Hasn't she arrived?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Of course! I was just wondering if you know where she went off to!" Harry said.

"Sorry, but I've just got here," Hermione said. "So what are you boys talking about?"

"Our plans for the summer," Harry said. "Carson wants to go camping, but Ron is being a baby about it."

Ron glared. "I'm not being a baby. I'm just not thrilled about asking my parents."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Arthur and Molly wouldn't have a problem with it."

"He's more concerned that saying he wants to go camping with Carson will... raise questions," Harry hedged pointedly.

Even Carson blushed as Ron glared harder at Harry.

"Oh," Hermione said slowly. "So your parents still don't know?"

"My parents do," Carson said with a shrug. "They're fine with it. But Ron is paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid!" Ron defended, ears red. "I'm sorry if I'm not bloody excited to tell my parents I have a boyfriend!"

Carson sighed and looked back at the board. He moved a piece and captured one of Ron's rooks.

To change the subject, Harry asked, "Where's Tonks? I didn't see her yet."

"Well, Charlie's home for the weekend," Ron mumbled. "So they're probably off somewhere, snogging each other's faces off."

Hermione smirked, because it was true. Once she heard that Charlie and Tonks had taken a liking to each other, she'd been a mixture of surprised and relieved. She'd been so paranoid about Tonks still falling for Remus - a married man - and there being a problem over it. But the young Auror and Dragon Trainer had hit it off beautifully.

"How are you parents, Carson?" Hermione asked, trying not to sound too eager or invasive.

The kids weren't privy to Hermione's secret. All the Marauders had made a pact to keep the nature of her existence in their lives private. It would cause unnecessary distrust and friction, they believed. But Hermione was still so concerned about her parents and asked Carson whenever she got the chance.

"They're good," Carson said with a smile.

"Dentists, right?" Hermione said.

Carson nodded.

"An interesting profession," Hermione said.

"Not especially," Carson said. "But Dad did have to get stitches once. A boy bit his hand." All three boys snickered at the story and Hermione smiled as well.

Some things didn't change.

...~oOo~...

At thirty-seven years old, none of the Marauders changed all that much. Lily was still very much the same, only a little rounder around the middle, but still the same old Lily. Sirius dressed worse. James talked about Quidditch even more. Remus did grow his mustache, unfortunately. But still, they were all very much the same.

Outside, they all sat around the table, reminiscing and drinking. They were on their third bottles of butterbeer when the graduating boys all came over and asked the men if they wanted to get a Quidditch game going.

Remus said, "No, thank you. I was never very good on a broom." His arm was draped across the back of his wife's chair and he was leaned back comfortably.

"Come on, Professor!" Ron said. "Just one game!"

"Oh, don't bother," Sirius said, standing up and tying back his hair, ready to get on a broom. "He's boring and married. There's no use."

"Oi!" James said. "I'm boring and married and I still want to play! We can't all be bachelors."

"Why _are_ you single, Sirius?" Harry asked curiously.

Everyone exchanged looks. No one exactly knew the answer to that. Sirius, a long time ago, had the chance to marry Cadence Bones, but he'd broken it off and no one knew why.

But Remus said, "It's simple, really. Your mother and I stole the only people Sirius could ever love."

Harry's eyebrows raised high to his hairline. "Aunt 'Mione and my dad?"

"Don't listen to a word Moony says," Sirius said hastily. "He's a bloody ponce. Let's go play Quidditch!"

As they walked away, James slung an arm around Sirius's shoulders and Sirius shoved him off, their barking laughter being heard from all over. They were still boys at heart.

Lily gave Remus a chiding look. "You shouldn't be mean, Remus."

Remus was just smirking knowingly and Hermione rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys.

"Now Harry thinks Sirius is incestuous and gay," Lily said, hiding a chuckle.

Hermione even laughed at that. "They'll still love him to death, of course."

"Gay, they can live with," Remus said. "I'm not so sure about the incest part yet."

"We should probably tell them that you two aren't related someday, though," Lily said. "All of the suggestive comments towards Hermione can't be good for their mental health."

All three of them laughed at the memory off all the weird looks that their nieces and nephews gave them when Sirius would make a raunchy comment at his sister. It'd taken them years to get used to hearing him call her "kitten" - something that would never change.

"Oh!" Lily said, with a smile. "Look who's here! Severus and his wife!"

They all turned. Sure enough, there Severus stood, looking as miserable about being at a Weasley party as ever, with his young, very pregnant wife beside him.

"Oh my God!" Hermione giggled. "She looks fit to pop!"

"Twins, I heard Severus saying in the faculty room the other day," Remus said, grinning.

"I haven't seen Reghan in forever," Hermione said. "I better go say hi and ask when her due date is."

Reghan was a pretty girl, about twenty-nine, with wavy, ash blonde hair that she kept up in a ponytail. Her eyes were a pretty dark blue and he skin was as pale as milk, and when she spoke, you heard the faintest traces of an Irish accent. She was bubbly and bright, always optimistic, if a little flighty at times. She was the polar opposite of her husband, in other words.

But she was the most doting wife you've ever met.

"Hello, Hermione!" she said in her lilting voice. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" She gave Hermione the best hug she could manage with her massive stomach in the way.

"Hello, Reghan, it's lovely to see you," Hermione said. "And you too, Severus."

"Good evening, Hermione," Severus drawled. "Where's Draco?"

"Off... somewhere," Hermione sighed. "We visited his parents before the party and it put him in a mood. A 'Severus Mood' we call it."

Reghan giggled. "Oh, dear. Darling, you should go find him."

"Why would I search out an angst-ridden teenager when he's in a mood?" Severus asked, as if she'd asked him to buy a pet bat.

"You're one of his biggest male role models!" Reghan pressed. "And Hermione shouldn't have to. If you don't learn how to handle these things, how will you handle our children?"

"Yes, Sirius," Hermione said with a gleeful smile. "How _will _you handle them?"

"Shut up," he sneered at Hermione. "I hear it enough from my wife without your input."

"Be nice, Severus!" Reghan scolded. "Now, find Draco!"

"I am not a hunting dog, woman."

"_What _did you just call me?" Reghan demanded, her eyes lighting up like Fiendfyre, her tiny fists on her hips. She looked more intimidating than any pregnant woman Hermione had ever seen, including Lily who'd been downright terrifying.

Severus mumbled a half-apology and stalked away, much in the way that Hermione often saw Draco stalk.

When Reghan turned to Hermione, it was like flipping a switch. She was smiling and genuine and no longer full of wrath. "So, how are Remus and the kids?"

...

Severus had been unsuccessful in locating Draco and it got to the point where Hermione was worried. She had abandoned the party and began searching for Draco all over the Burrow's grounds.

She'd ventured so far out that she hit the creek and sure enough, sitting by the water on a boulder, was Draco. She was tossing smaller rocks into the water and watching the tide pull them away.

Hermione came up behind him and climbed up on the large rock to sit beside him. He did not acknowledge her arrival, even when she sat next to him.

"What's the matter, Draco?" Hermione asked.

"I just... hate visiting them," Draco said sharply. "Nothing else to it, really."

"Your mother misses you dearly," Hermione said. "It's only fair that you see her."

He said nothing.

"Is it your father? I know he can be critical at times, but -"

"No, it's not my father," he spat.

"Then what is it?" she inquired, reaching out and brushing his blonde locks out of his eyes. "You can tell me anything. I'm your godmother, after all."

"_That_," Draco hissed. "That's what I can't stand. When you say that."

Hermione's eyes widened. "When I say what?"

"That you're my godmother."

Hermione's heart broke and the two pieces dropped to her stomach. She pulled her hand away from his face and said, "I'm sorry. I know I'll never replace Narcissa, but -"

"It's not that," Draco grumbled. "The opposite. You're always saying you're my godmother, but you're not. You're my mum."

Hermione sighed. "But Narcissa -"

"Didn't raise me," he finished for her. "She wasn't around to take me to the platform for my first time. Nor was my father. They may have created me, but you're my mum. And the Professor and Severus are my dads. And you don't see yourselves as such, so does that mean I'm not your son?"

Hermione twined her around around Draco's shoulders and rested her head on the nearest one. "Oh, Draco, of course we do. You're as much my son as Alastor. We just don't want to overstep our boundaries. Not to mention, when you were little, you would kick up such a fuss when Remus called you 'son'. You'd scream that you weren't our son and run up to your room and lock yourself in for hours."

"Did I?" Draco asked quietly. "I don't remember that."

Hermione nodded and brushed his hair behind his ears again in that way that mothers do. "Remus never took it to heart, though. He knew how you felt. I certainly did as well. I was raised by people who weren't my parents and I held a resentment for them, definitely."

Draco's blonde brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I was adopted, Draco," Hermione admitted. "The Blacks adopted me when I was thirteen. Sirius and I aren't really brother and sister."

Draco said smugly, "I knew it."

Hermione chuckled. "It's true, Sirius doesn't exactly treat me as a little sister, does he?"

"Definitely not," Draco chuckled.

"But, Draco," Hermione said gently, "though your parents are in Azkaban, you can still love them, you know."

"Sometimes I think I love my mother," Draco said, "but I'm not sure about my father."

"Indeed, your father is a difficult person to love," Hermione said, "but he has always been a good friend to me. But... I am not sure that, as a father, he would do well."

"The sad part it," Draco said, "I don't think so either."

"Well, on a brighter note, I have your graduation gift, or at least part of it," Hermione said, pulling a small package from her pocket and tapping it with her wand to make it its original size. "This was Sephie's contribution."

Draco looked at the rectangularly wrapped gift. It was very thin. He tore open the paper and inside found a picture frame.

Inside was a picture of one of the early days of summer when Hermione would take out the plastic kiddie pool for Sephie and Draco. Their house was in a field, miles away from any other house, so oftentimes when they were so small they would go in only their underwear or nude. Draco was wearing only his knickers, as was the two and a half year old Sephie. In the picture, Sephie was splashing Draco and he was simply taking it. Hermione sat in the pool with them, wearing a tank top and shorts.

Draco was astonished at how young all three of them were. Sephie was only a baby - a bright, giggling baby - and Draco so small as well, with his untrimmed blonde hair. There was a long period of time where he absolutely refused to cut his hair and it got quite long.

Draco was even surprised at how young his surrogate mother was. In the picture, her smile was broad, with no lines in her skin, her hair long and curly, and very thin. Plain as day was her faded Dark Mark, but she was laughing in the photo even though she was branded for life as something she wasn't. They were all laughing.

Hermione smiled as the Photo Draco, only four years old, reached up to take hold of Hermione's hair and kissed her on the cheek.

"Sephie wanted you to take this with you, wherever you wind up working, to put on your desk," Hermione said, wiping away a tear that escaped.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"You're just... you're so grown up," Hermione said, more tears falling down. It was a quiet crying. "And I love you so much."

Draco hugged his mum and said, "Though I won't admit it often... I love you too."

...

On Hermione's way back up to the Burrow from their stream, she'd found more than one snogging couple hiding in the gardens. The first she found was Ron and Carson, locked in a loving embrace, kissing like they were the only people in the world.

The next couple weren't so much snogging as flirting. And she was shocked when the she recognized the shadows.

Her daughter and godson were cozy in the garden, holding hands and leaning in close to one another.

"Harry! Persephone!" Hermione said, mostly in shock.

The teenagers jumped a foot in the air and pulled apart like they'd been electrocuted.

"Mum!" Sephie said, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

"Aunt 'Mione!" Harry said, his eyes wide behind his.

"What the... I... why didn't anyone tell me?!" Hermione sputtered, throwing her arms in the air. "You were supposed to be playing Quidditch!"

Harry was blushing all the way to his hairline and Sephie was looking at her feet.

"Uh... um... just... don't let me interrupt," Hermione fumbled. "I'm going to... find... your father. And... dance or... something." And Hermione hurried away.

...

"Sephie and Harry are dating!" Hermione half-shouted the second she found her husband. He'd been having a lovely conversation with Filius, but Hermione was having none of that.

"I'm sorry, Filius," Remus said calmly. "I have to console my panicking wife."

Filius only smiled and graciously walked away.

"Harry! Persephone!" Hermione was stuttering. "That is just... just..."

"Nice?" Remus guessed.

"Weird!"

"You dated your brother."

"That was different!"

"You're right," Remus said. "Harry and Sephie is far _less_ weird that you and Sirius."

"You aren't helping, Remus," Hermione growled. Then she looked into his eyes and gasped. "You knew! You knew about this and didn't tell me!"

"Of course I knew, love," Remus said, handing her his drink. "I'm in school all year with them. It was impossible for me not to know. Watching them play footsie at dinner made it obvious enough."

"This... this... you... them... ugh!"

Remus rested both hands on his wife's shoulders and looked down at her with a smile. "Hermione, they're young adults. Why are you so surprised that they'd be dating?"

"Dating is one thing," Hermione said, swigging the drink, "dating each other is another."

"Harry has graduated and Sephie has two years left at Hogwarts," Remus said. "Does it make you feel better that they'll barely see one another anymore?"

"No," Hermione said, her brow crinkled. "No, it does not. First my ex-boyfriend is dating me in male form and now my best friend is dating my daughter. The world makes no sense."

Chuckling, Remus kissed her forehead. "It must be hell inside your head."

"It is."

"Let's dance."

Hermione pouted. "I don't feel like dancing."

"That's usually my argument. Now, come, Professor."

Hermione glared. "Don't call me that. I don't start that position until next term. For now, I'm still an Auror."

"But next year you'll be all mine, all the time," Remus said, taking her hand and leading her to the expanse of grass where people had taken to dancing under the stars. "And Alastor will be sharing our chambers and get to see Hogwarts for the first time. And Sephie will be there all year with us. It will be perfect. A dream come true."

Hermione leaned her head onto her husband's chest as they began stepping to the soft beat of the music from the enchanted instruments on the lawn that played themselves.

"I suppose it will be nice," Hermione admitted.

"More than nice." He kissed her head.

"But I'm nervous," Hermione said. "With Dumbledore retired, McGonagall as Headmistress, I'll never be able to live up to them as Transfiguration professor."

"You, my dear, will outshine both of them." Remus's hand was rubbing up and down her back soothingly. "I wouldn't doubt one day you'll become Headmistress yourself."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Someone else told me that once." It was at the very deepest recesses of her memory. "A long time ago. I was... sitting in a chair..."

"A chair?"

"Yes and..." Then it popped into her head. "That's right! Dumbledore's portrait! He'd implied that one day I'd belong in the Headmistress's chair. But now I think that was mostly a ploy to get me to accept his mission."

"It's true, nonetheless," Remus said. "You could be Headmistress."

"And you my Deputy," Hermione teased, looking up at him with shining eyes. "How would you like to work under me?"

"I must say," Remus said with a wink, "I'd much prefer _you_ under me. And it has nothing to do with profession."

Hermione giggled as he bent down to kiss her gently on the lips. His mustache and scruffy chin rubbed her cheek and she didn't mind a bit as she kissed him back.

When they pulled apart and commenced their dancing, Hermione looked around at the world she lived in. James and Lily were dancing as well. Severus and Reghan sat together, and she was leaning on him and looking at him like he was the sun, moon and stars - and not many people realized this, but he looked at her in much the same way. Sirius was telling jokes and laughing, his smile always clear and optimistic.

Harry was safe. Her children were safe. Hermione was married for a glorious sixteen years. The universe had righted itself.

And she had found her piece of happiness.

"Hermione," Remus asked softly. "I never asked you, but... what did you get Harry for graduating?"

Hermione's smile was the sort where the Marauder inside of her shone through. "A puzzle box."

THE END

...~oOo~...

A/N. Wow, guys. It's over. This is the end.

Writing this story has been an adventure for me. From the first chapter I knew how it wanted to end and I was so excited to get to it - but now that it's here, it's difficult to say goodbye.

A thank you to my two most loyal reviewers - **onebigscribble** and _Aurora-16_. As always, you guys are awesome, and to the rest of you - you all mean so much to me and have made writing this even more fun!

So! Sirius is the eternal bachelor, Hermione and Remus have three kids, the Potters have two, Ron and Carson are together, Harry is dating Sephie, and Severus is married and expecting twins - brownie points to the person who remembers where his wife Reghan was mentioned before in this story!

I will be writing a one-shot about how Severus and his wife's romance began - so look out for that!

I will be continuing Captive and Teddy again, I promise!

Next on my agenda is probably a full-length Hermione/Fred story.

Thank you, all of you, so much! I hope you continue to read my work and continue to enjoy my stories!

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


	78. A Letter to You

Dear Readers,

The Last Marauder is over. It's very sad, but true. But it will live on forever in our hearts! And in fan-art and trailers and...

Oh, yes! I forget to tell you all - a very special TLM reader (**FrogzZ94**) made a TLM trailer! The youtube extension link is:

/watch?v=Ggb7gbD9-4c&feature=

It's REALLY awesome! It gave me shivers the first (and second, and third) time I saw it!

Also, I don't want to get any of your hopes up, but a sequel MIGHT be in the works. That is a big MIGHT, because I'm very hesitant to possibly ruin the memory of TLM which got such positive feedback. But there WILL be plenty of companion stories, such as the one already posted "Teacher's Pet" about Severus and Reghan. Soon there will be one with all the Marauders about Christmas.

Also, there will be updates in almost all of my in-progress stories very soon - seeing as I've been neglecting them because of TLM. Which means I will be updating Teddy, Captive, and the newest story The Holiday.

Thank you again for going on this adventure with me, and I hope to hear from you all soon! To me, you guys aren't just readers, you're friends, so NEVER hesitate in just sending me a message that simply says "hello, what's up?"

I love you all.

Always,

Resa Aureu


End file.
